Nov
13
2006
The 'Ol Hitcheroo
Things seem to be coming together quite well for the 'ol hitcheroo. Got a date set (early September). Got some venues booked. The wedding website is coming together. Yeah, you read that correctly. A wedding website. Still in the market for a decent caterer, but we've got a few in mind. I'm really looking forward to this whole wedding thing. It's going to be a ton of work, moreso because of the venue choices we made. And it's gonna cost a bundle - all out of our pockets. But what the hell. It's not like a guy gets hitched too often (hopefully not, anyways). I'm a logistical / tactical kind of guy. I enjoy the planning process. It drives me crazy, but it's a good brand of crazy. The character building / experiential kind of crazy. And I like being involved. I'm not one of those "ask the wife" kind of guys. I want a say in what color our napkins will be, god dammit.
I had a conversation with a good friend on the weekend. This friend is proudly single. I should also add that he's, how should I put it, "a few years older than I". He offered congratulations as any good friend should. He also added that he'd never get married. He's happy being single. While I don't doubt that, I had to wonder to myself, "How long can a guy stay single? Can a guy chase the skirts forever and die a happy man?" The whole conversation has been bothering the shit out of me since. I was single for years before meeting Kerry. I hated those years. The dating scene made me ill. I just stopped trying after awhile. Then Ker came along. Go figure. Far be it for me to criticize someone's choice of lifestyle, but the question, I guess, is this: Can a person be happy without a long-term witness to their lives? To quote Dylan:
And even if the flesh falls off of my face
I know someone will be there to care
Lifestyle choices are, of course, deeply personal. We all have our reasons for doing what we do. And like I say, I wouldn't bemoan anyone for their choices. All I can say is that I'd rather go through this life with Kerry at my side. I guess I find it hard to accept that someone would actually want to go through life alone. I know many sad and lonely people (some family) who are single by nature of who they are, not necessarily by choice. That's not an easy thing to live with. Staying single could be viewed as a luxury. I know many people who would give their left arm to find someone to share their life with. I'm lucky to have a loving witness.
