Truisms

Cliches are there for a reason. There'[s some truth at the core. And so: You can't live with 'em, you can't live without 'em. (Fill in "'em" as you so will.)

Such is the case with Jim. On any given day I'd be grateful for four "free" hours with him out of the house, riding his bike or whatever. I'd savor a few hours of quiet, reading a book. But let him depart for a few days, and...BLAH!! What would otherwise be savored as a bit of space, alone with a book, suddenly turns flat and stale. Books? Hah! Movies? Only so much. Without the "savoir faire" of stolen moments, it all loses something. That is no commentary on the content of such books and movies, but rather on the quality of my concentration, which declines in some kind of exponential relation to the number of hours he is gone. It's as though a flywheel, otherwise kept in check, lets go and spins wildly. There is no focus, only stasis: waiting for equilibrium to return.

..and don't think I like this state of affairs!! I am constantly reminded of the final words of Dennis Fynch-Hatton (Robert Redford) to Karin Diinsen (Meryl Streep) in "Out of Africa":

Dennis: "You've ruined it for me, you know."

Karin: "What?"

Dennis: "Being alone."

Ipso facto. I cannot enjoy being alone because I don't have my "random rock" to knock me about. Darned ******! Can't live with him, can't live without him!! :)