Side by Side

In the Nick Cave book, he mentions how some things are prescient. His example was an album (Skeleton Tree) he wrote before his son died, and how in retrospect many of the songs seem to be about what happened to his son. People often think he wrote the album in response, but it was the opposite.

That struck me because at the end of December and early January, I had similar experiences. There seemed to be forces pushing me to do things I wouldn’t normally do, and I didn’t know why.

Here is one example. I went shopping for my friend Amy’s birthday gifts, and then was in CVS looking at reader glasses. I realized I needed a card for Amy, so went to that department. It was early January, but they already had the Valentine’s Day cards displayed.

Jim and I had stopped exchanging cards long ago, and we haven’t done much to celebrate Valentine’s Day in years. Yet, I saw this card and picked it up. I decided to buy it, even though I don’t particularly care for swans. It seems prescient now, because this card states what this year seems to be about—being side by side through our toughest experiences. And if I hadn’t bought the card that day, I probably would not have even thought to get him one, since that fell off my radar years ago, and things were feeling pretty insane in February. It felt good to have it to give to him.

We’ve been through a lot, Jim and I. And the best part is we do it together. The card sits on the bar by our sink as a continuous reminder, not only of our love, but of the mysterious forces that guide us.