A friend forwards an email from another friend – apparently MORE magazine wrote an article about mid life love – the person sending the email says she has no romantic love to speak of but that she is happy with her friends and her life without it right now. I tell my friend – you know I could easily write the same thing – that life without romantic love is fun, exciting, and all good. But the truth be told I compare it to “Finding Loca” – this dog who has become my shadow – I didn’t want a dog, was not ready for a dog, and was certainly not prepared to give my home over to a half crazed 11 month old puppy who can leap tall kitchen counters in a single bound – but this dog, this Loca Negra, has brought into my life craziness, love, surprise, joy, purpose, and all those things that you don’t rationally go looking for, but when you find you are so enchanted with – yes I could say, a life without romantic love would be just fine – but maybe fine ain’t good enough.
Is romantic love difficult to find in the post modern mid life of a woman – indeed – but I’d venture to say when she does find it – it’s of a higher order.