Not Good for (wo)Man to Be Alone
by Melissa Busse

aaaaecently I was expecting friends from out of town to come visit for the weekend. We planned to go hiking, pick apples, and catch up on the last couple months of our lives. I love these friends, and I couldn't wait for them to arrive.
aaaaI enjoy playing hostess and spent a good deal of time at the grocery store the night before their arrival planning out five meals for six people. (Kudos to the parents of America that do this daily!) Upon arriving back home, I made the four necessary trips between my car and my door to shuffle all of my new-found, fully loaded plastic bags into my apartment. And I began to do some math in my head.... Two forty-four. That is the approximate number of times I have lugged laden grocery bags, upstairs, by myself in my single adult life thus far. This number is based on an average of two shopping trips per month, and excludes the eight months I lived in an apartment during college that didn't require stairs to get to the front door. Two forty-four is just the UPSTAIRS approximation. You, know... I'm tired of hauling groceries upstairs by myself.
aaaaThere are many reasons why I hope a wonderful marriage is in my future. Many. But, the chief reason in my mind today is: to have someone open the door with a smile and help me bring the groceries in.