Catching the Bouquet

Because Some of them ARE good…

Intimacy: the dirtiest word of the 21st century. Being intimate isn’t about being “close” as some people prefer to understand it. Your spouse is not your slave or ball-and-chain. Could you be chained to one person the rest of your life and be perfectly happy?  I couldn’t. But, I could be supported and challenged by a worthy friend/opponent whom I also happen to love. Intimacy is really different than passionate, emotional togetherness.

I am not currently dating a certain man from my past, but I know him. I know what he’s thinking and what he “means” when he says things. Talking to him now, that we aren’t together, is still pleasurable because we still have intimacy. I didn’t plan on it. It sort-of just happened. You hang-out with someone long enough it just does.

My dad married a woman after my mother, whom he later divorced. She wasn’t the most kind and tender soul, but the loss of her in my life was felt. I may not have bonded with her in a positive way, but only we knew the things that went on and that made us intimates. Only she knows what it means to be with my dad and why it’s a hard road.

That said, what a powerful tool for a love relationship. It’s almost like you can step back a little and still feel like you’re in a relationship even when things aren’t super great. There’s something to be said for a familiarity that breeds when you are around someone long enough. Maybe that’s the real key to long-term satisfaction in relationships, the intimacy.