Give me that fish…if it were you in that sandwich you wouldn’t be laughing at all.
And most important today is I am singing because of a very happy day:
Thank you Hashem on the the engagement of Minna and Nafi!
(Credit Video: Andy Blumenthal)
So I saw a casual work friend the other day doting around what looked like his girlfriend.
They looked really cute together.
And this guy is in his 60’s and lost his wife a number of years ago to cancer, so I was really happy to see him happy, and playful in love again.
After a while, I took the opportunity to play cupid best I could.
I told her how nice this guy was and how well he takes care of his customers.
I ended by saying how we really love having him around and how it wouldn’t be the same without him.
I could see him behind her smiling ear-to-ear–this lady really meant something to him.
When I saw him again today, I asked innocently, “so was that your girlfriend?” and like a young teenager in love, he smirked and nodded.
It was obvious how much it meant to him that I spoke well of him to her.
What can I say, I am really happy to make a little contribution to love–and I am really happy for them. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
This couple is arguing loudly in front of everyone on the Metro in Washington, D.C.
She claims the coming baby is his, and that he needs to take a paternity test.
He says it’s impossible that it’s his because she’s 3 months pregnant and they haven’t had sex in 5 months!
This goes on and on in a most hilarious and boisterous way, and they even try and involve some of the innocent bystanders on the train.
Always a show in this crazy town and it’s not just the politics! 😉
(Source Video: Andy Blumenthal)
So I was talking to this nice gentleman.
He was telling me that he lost his wife of over 27 years to cancer–this happened over 15 years ago.
And since then, he had a girlfriend who recently broke his heart and married someone else.
I felt really bad and sorry for this nice man–who is always so friendly and intelligent.
He says to me:
“Over the years, I’ve learned what women want from men.”
I ask him inquiringly:
“And what is that?”
He’s obviously glad that I asked, and he proceeds to tell me:
“Women want two things: curiosity and security.”
Not understanding what he means by the first one, I ask:
“What do you mean curiosity?”
He looks intently at me and says:
“Women want to talk, and they want to know what’s going on.”
He explains to me that if you talk and be a good listener to women and provide (your part) materially in a stable relationship with them–they will be happy and you will be happy.
This is sort of the “Happy wife, happy life” idea that I’ve heard before.
Listen, even at this stage in my life, with a wife and two lovely daughters, I can still learn something about what makes women happy…teach me the pearls of wisdom and I will learn it well. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Wow this was tough…
I was at a luncheon with some friends, including a couple we’re friendly with that’s been dating a while.
At one point, the young man gets up to get some more food, and the young lady all of a sudden asks me, “Do you still live around here?”
I said “Yes, not far from here,” and in turn asked whether she was still living in {blankty blank neighborhood}.
She said, “Yes, {and continues sort of out of the blue} and we’re not going to live together until we get married.”
I was sort of surprised at the turn that her answer took about their relationship, and innocently asked, “So does that mean you guys are planning on marriage then?”
Just then the man comes back and I must’ve been reading the tea leaves {and the ominous music for the laying of the trap starts playing in my head}…
Immediately, the young lady says to him before he even sits back down, “He’s asking if we’re getting married {and for some reason she’s literally pointing at me or am I imaging that finger like a dagger coming out}!”
At this point, I think my eyes started to bug out a little as I must’ve had this look on my face like what the heck is going on here.
But if this isn’t going bad enough {what in G-d’s name did I walk into with this?)…
This older lady across the table, starts blurting out loudly saying, “How would you like if she ends up with another guy?!!!”
Holy sh*t {where is that coming from now?)!
The guy next to me is obviously at the point of fury {I can’t say that I fully blame him}, and he packs up his stuff and sort of storms off from the table.
The young women is still there trying to make conversation as if this whole thing just somehow didn’t happen.
But it did and it was pretty ugly!
The older lady {not stopping–this is madness} then chimes in again and says, “Look at what he did, he stormed off–if I were you, I would just drop him!”
We’re all sort of sitting there in complete shock now.
Pulling for a straw to somehow make this scene go away, I ask the young lady, “Should I go out and see if I can speak with him?”
She’s shakes her head and says, “No. We’re almost done {done–in what way…?}!”
Within a couple of minutes, we excused ourselves and headed out–sort of not believing how this whole scene went down.
One thing I can tell you is do not get ANYWHERE near people and their relationships–there are a whirlwind of just under the surface feelings, agendas, and finger-pointing ready to take flight and eradicate everything in the vicinity of ground zero.
Anyway, I hope everything works out okay for this couple…they actually do seem really nice together. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
So just a couple of birds, right?
Not to me!
There were a number of reminders to me today about how special and fortunate it is for any of us to be with someone we love.
It’s not just that two heads are better than one.
Pretty much, everything is better with a partner who looks back at us and smiles.
We magnify the joy and we share the sorrow, together.
What my dad used to call my mom, his “better half!”
What we are lacking in, often our soulmate can fill in the blank.
And planning and executing is as a team, rather than flying solo.
There is someone who keeps our lofty ideas in check and at the same time challenges us when it’s time to think bigger.
We learn from the other person, at the same time that we teach them maybe a little thing or two from our repertoire.
Strategically, divide and conquer makes everything from routine tasks to complex projects easier to achieve, especially when we agree on the goal and the approach.
Even the “occasional” disagreements and fights helps us to learn to control our temperament and to work things out or when to take a break and think things through afresh.
Someone to reach out to.
Someone to hold unto.
Someone to caress.
Someone to buttress.
Someone who makes us a better person than the one we see in the mirror naked and mortal.
Like 2 by 2 in Noah’s Ark or in the birds and the bees, we are committed to that special someone.
The Bat Kol calls out “so and so shall be married to so and so” like only the L-rd in heaven can decree from the rib of man to the flesh of a women. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
They remind me of Ethel and Fred from I Love Lucy.
Do you think that there are any couples out there that this rings true for?
Maybe just a few, right. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
So some colleagues at work told me about getting a Swedish Massage.
I listened to how it helps them with aches and pains as well as to just relax.
One guy mentioned that he tried a couples massage with his wife and it was really awesome as an event together.
Not that I thought in a million years that I would ever get a massage myself, but going away with my honey, this seemed like just the right thing to do.
We ended up at the spa in the Westin and had the most relaxing massage that I could ever imagine.
Some lemonade, calm music, dim lights, and a view of the ocean made it just perfect for us.
I realized where some new pain points for me were, how important a little work-life balance can be, and could only say, “What other times are you available this week?”
Uh oh, I think I’m hooked.
OMG–thank you, but maybe I should’ve never tried it (it’s an expensive habit)! 😉
andyblumenthal 