Everyday Generalizations

My cats complain, but at least they’re not an old man complaining

My cats complain, but at least they’re not an old man complaining

When I was in high school, the school held a two-day series of talks by people from various walks of life. The mother of someone I went to grade school with talked about marriage.

I don’t remember what she talked about. I just know that she started by saying, “My husband is the handsomest man in the world.” Pause for effect. “If he walked in that door (pointing to the classroom door) right now, you would say, ‘This woman is crazy.’

“I don’t care. To me, he is the handsomest man in the world.”

Skip to English class at the University of Michigan. My Professor said, “I want you to write this down and tape the paper to your bathroom mirror: Whether you marry or not, you shall regret it.

Skip ahead.

A woman whose husband I know claimed “he is a renaissance man! So smart in so many ways!”

Someone else I know said she “won the lottery” when she met her husband.

A long-married friend said she wouldn’t remarry if her husband died. Rather, she would have a female friend as a roommate.

And I hear stories of people who simply live with a partner, but the story is that one person ends up taking care of the other person at some point, even though marriage isn’t involved.

Somehow I was able to avoid not getting tied up in a relationship. At this point, I like to say, “my cats complain, but at least they’re not an old man complaining.”