April 2023: Warm Fazzy
Apr 05, 2023“If Sue ever leaves me, I’m going with her.”
— James Patterson *
Dear Friend,
When I came across this great line, from the prolific author James Patterson, I laughed out loud, then immediately went to find Donna and share it with her.
I love the origin of words and googled the word “companion” to find out where it comes from. (I love etymology; it’s like archeology, only about words instead of dinosaurs.) Sure enough, I found a gold mine of meaning. “Companion” comes from the Latin word “panis” meaning bread; and “com" meaning with. Companion literally translates to "with bread."
A companion is someone you break bread with. A bread fellow.
And it occurred to me: some of the greatest moments I experience with Donna are found in the mundane, the everyday. Yes, there are still thrilling moments of dopey- opey love and adventure. But the glue that binds us, the mutual web that sustains us, comes mostly from the bread-breaking moments.
We take walks. Cook together. Babysit grandkids. Play with our dog Millie. Sit and talk in the evenings. Go to Costco together.
We talk about nothing and everything. Sometimes I find myself talking over things that are troubling me, challenging me, or that I’m trying to figure out but have gotten stuck in. I’m a talker, and Donnas is a great listener. I’m a more get it over with person. Donna Is a get-it-done-right person.
I don’t know where or when Patterson first uttered (or penned) the quote at the top of this email, but I found it in a recent interview in GQ (Jan. 23, 2023):
“I’m very lucky because my wife and I, we love each other. We love hanging together. We are best friends, we love to talk to one another. In my autobiography, I write, and this is true, every night, we go to sleep holding hands. And one of my comedic lines about her, which is also true, is, ‘If Sue ever leaves me, I’m going with her.’ ”
Donna and I don’t fall asleep holding hands, but I wake her up most morning mornings with a cup of hot tea, a boiled egg, and a kiss (feeling much like Her prince in a fairy tale)
My April wish for you: That you Get To Spend time every day with your best companion doing nothing special. Let the sheer companionship of it feed your soul. Trust and respect are often “nothing special done together over time.” And if you need any real estate questions answered we promise to listen, take the right time, and get it done right.
