Cohabitation and Representation

After reading my last post it occurs to me that I came off as a bit of a minimalist. This is not true at all. In fact, the representation is incredibly obtuse. My Desert Isle would be a nightmare of epic proportions, even if I did have the items I mentioned. I wasn't trying to say that in some way I wish that were the way my life could be.

I need people in my world, and I love my "stuff"- you know, all the shit I own, and have accumulated over the 32 years of my life.

I was watching the news, and saw a huge apartment building similar to mine that had burnt to the ground. The interview with a displaced couple was particularly moving, as they had lost all that they own. I felt sorry for their loss, and it made me think about my own coverage if something like that happened to us.

It is important to be sure you have adequate insurance, so I increased my coverage to compensate for Shananigan's belongings as well as my own. I also added her name to the policy. While I was at it, I added her to my auto insurance policy. I realized at that moment that I now have everything in common with Shananigans that I ever had with my ex-wife. We share the same address, same bed, same bank accounts, and insurance. We are now a $250 weekend package to Vegas, and a name change away from being hitched.

So why not?

Well... It really is too soon. We have rushed into this very serious situation with little caution, so now is the time to slow down a bit, and evaluate the future. Perspective is a lot clearer now as comfort permeates our lives. Now we are being who we are, and not who we think we ought to be. Now is the time when we really get to meet each other, and not simply each others manufactured representative.

I bet you know what I am talking about if you really think about it. Your Representative is you putting on your "best face". It is your cocktail party self- the person who talks about high ideals, and appears to really have it "together" all the time. Strangely enough, your representative is more often defined by who they are not, rather than who they are.
Your representative doesn't fart, they don't forget to flush, they certainly don't get drunk and passout in hallways, and they don't complain, or speak wistfully of a better life. Representatives don't fail, and they don't falter. Their lives are pristine and successful.

The people that REALLY know you, don't know your representative. The people that love you would probably think your representative is an asshole.

So what does that say about the person who fell in love with this perfect alter ego?

Well...

This is why we aren't getting married right now. We have been together for a year, and we just met.