wjztrimmer's Journal

The word "companion" means, "together with bread." It's one of my favorite words because it gives me this picture of the simplicity of a relationship. Over a piece of chocolate cake last Friday (which is kind of like bread, but tastier), J and I talked about what's changing in our relationship.

I think the most significant change for me is that marriage has been re-defined in my mind. I think now of J as my companion and that makes our relationship simpler and more enjoyable. Before, I thought she should be a seven course meal...you know, that she should provide everything I need and she was under the same assumption. There is no way that one person can provide all of the nutrients our hearts need. I'm not saying that we should go find other people to meet our needs, but that we should look within ourselves or to something beyond ourselves. And when we do that, we can simply sit down over a loaf of bread with someone we love and enjoy the company (the sharing of bread) without the expectation that we should be getting more than bread. 

Last year sometime (it's all fuzzy now), J and I went to perhaps the worst restaurant I've ever dined at. It was a Mexican place with stale chips and horrible salsa. This was the first sign that the meal would be terrible; if you can't get fried tortilla's right, there's a problem. The food was disgusting; really horrible. But, we had great conversations. Later, as we walked through town, I said, "I think we should eat at a terrible restaurant once a month. Just so we remember that we're not going out for food, we're going out to be together." And when she agreed, I knew that I had a companion. So, here's to looking at our spouse as a companion!