One of my favorite moments when I go to the doctor is when they take my blood pressure. The nurse pumps the rubber ball a bunch of times, and then waits while the numbers go down, down. They often comment.

"You have great numbers."

For an instant I am proud. 

My daughter once worked for a company whose title boasted hypertension. 160 over 90 is a fast working advertising firm and the name implies stress. 

The other day John and I were sharing appreciations with another couple, and both of them talked about how their partner was there for them when they freaked out in the past week. Deadlines at work, and immigration issues were weighing on them, and having a calm person to decompress with made life manageable. 

My other daughter flew to Pittsburgh for the wedding of a good friend. The couple was in St. Croix last year when the hurricane blasted through. I guess they learned a bit about how the other person handles an emergency. They were engaged soon after. 

John proposed to me the week our family committed my mother to a mental hospital. He was the calm in my storm. The beacon in my darkness. The pillar in my castle. His ability to remain clear headed has been precious to me.... with each car totaled by one of our kids, when we had to put Benjamin in a locked facility, when I had an appendectomy at the Grand Canyon. 

If I were the CEO of a large corporation, I would fabricate dire circumstances during job interviews, just to measure the mettle of potential employees. 

It's probably a good thing I'm not.