Fifty Days before the Wedding

The So has been tracking the days before the wedding. She and I have been at
times wondering about the cost of the wedding. The stress level has been
increasing. Though thankfully, the stress hits us at different times. I have
asked questions about whether or not all we are doing are worth it or right.
She and I have asked about the enormous time and money spent on the project. We
reassure each other that it is fine. We are able to cover the cost. That the
families and the friends are worthy of the celebration. That seven years of
waiting, getting to know each other and knowing each other’s families should be
punctuated with a true celebration.

Each weekend, I am thankful that I am with the SO. In many ways, she completes
me. She is patient with my incessant insecurities. She manages to teach me how
to change, how to control my frustrations and stress, and how to deal with daily
life. The tiger entertains the monkey with shiny new objects and new locations.
It is very hard to entertain monkeys. Sometimes, the monkey gets into trouble
just because of boredom. But with this tiger, the monkey manages to laugh at
daily life and appreciate the beauty in everything.

The tiger has thanked the monkey for the laughter. In truth, the monkey knows
that it is very weird. But, here is a tiger who finds the monkey’s outrageous
statements FUNNY! Talk about amazing. Talk about luck, karma or opportunity.
The monkey tries to support the tiger’s multitude of activities: poetry, kali,
teaching, computers, performances, directing and on and on. Sometimes, the
monkey wishes that the tiger would not be so active. There are only so many
days to the year. But the activities are the very things which entertain the
monkey. The activities are where the new things, the shiny things come from.

In some moments of solitude and retrospection, the monkey knows that others
would have been good. But this tiger has been a different companion. Someone
who opens the eyes. Shares the joy of the world. Makes one complete. The one
who is better than the monkey, yet the monkey is able to make better.