It’s been too long since my last post, so here’s something that’s been on my mind today.
Relationships are paradoxical. Partners want confidence, yet vulnerability. Security, yet freedom. Passion, yet propriety. Indulgence, yet frugality. Sincerity, yet whimsy. Romance, yet permanence. Infallibility, yet grace.
There is a time and place for everything, certainly. But how does a confident person show doubts, or a meek person show confidence? How does a protective male respect independence, or a tolerant male enforce boundaries? How does a prurient girl practice restraint, or a conservative girl embrace passion? How does generosity operate on a budget, or moderation allow for pampering? How can austerity be playful, or a jester be sincere? How can a relationship of fluttery feelings last, or an enduring relationship retain excitement? How can ambition accept failure, or grace find an opening in the armour of pride?
If there’s one thing the above conundrums make evident it’s that relationships are madness. Yet from the madness people find meaning and belonging. Maybe they find the answer to one of those questions and share it with someone who has found another. Maybe people are mutually attracted by the mystery of pursuing life’s questions, or the challenge of uniting lives that seem determined to rebound in any other direction. Or maybe people wandering the dark in confusion are just bound to bump into each other eventually.
Maybe I should stop using analogies that confound what’s already confuzzled.
The point, if indeed there must be one, is that in this broken world it’s a miracle that any two people can manage to stay together in a lifelong commitment when so many forces from both without and within threaten to destroy that connection.
I hope someday I get to experience that.
The togetherness, not the destruction. Just to clarify.
Observations 