What The Hug!

Like all things in life, houses age. The shingles are beaten by the elements year after year and begin to wear. Small leaks form. The home owner may notice and make repairs before too much damage is done. Or he may just shrug and think, "It's not that bad. I'll deal with it later." The paint gets worn and the wood underneath is exposed to the weather. If left long enough, rot sets in. The windows age and don't block the heat and cold as well, making it harder to maintain a comfortable temperature. The damage begets more damage and the deterioration escalates.

Suddenly the clueless homeowner notices the condition of his home and realizes that his dream of living in the house for the rest of his life is in jeopardy! Whatever shall he do? How can he make this right? From somewhere the solution comes to him. He will hug his house every day! By doing this he can erase the years of neglect and and make it livable again. Yes, that is the solution! No need to start in and work at repairing the leaks and broken boards. Just a hug once a day! So much easier too.

This analogy may be lame but it explains my "what the holy barking fuck?!" reaction as I was approached each day this past week by my spouse and hugged. Completely out of the blue. It's been months (and years, if I'm honest) of literally skirting around each other emotionally and physically, so the touch felt awkward and alien. It does nothing to repair the horrific damage done to our marriage. Fruitless, useless and pointless. Might as well give mouth to mouth to roadkill. But not as entertaining.