Last night, we had a huge thunderstorm. It was the kind that shakes the windows and knocks out the power for a bit. My poor pup hid in the bathroom, shivering in the dark. He was very happy when the storm passed.

I was single for most of my life, getting married in my mid 30s. There were times when I really wanted a partner and times when it didn’t matter so much. When I was happy in my job and had a good social life, I looked at having a partner as sprinkles on a delicious sundae. It might make it better, but I was perfectly fine without it. Once I was married, we had the same perspective about kids. It would be nice, but our happiness was not dependent on it.