I love my wife – 24 hours a day

I love my wife.  Jan and I have been married for nearly 30 years.  I also enjoy spending 24-hours a day with her.

But, some people I have been with longer than my marriage to Jan.   I have a poker group.  I’ve been playing with the group since 1974,  Some have died, and new ones have taken their place.  We play once a month and take turns hosting the event.  There’s no better way to understand a person than to take their money every month.  (OK, I don’t always take their money.  But the idea’s the same.)

I know their politics.  I know their religious leanings.  I know about their wives, their children, their jobs and their retirement activities.  I know how they hold their hands, when they bet, how they deal.  I know all of their tells, and they know all of mine.  It’s an intimate gathering of friends.  I miss them.

I have a breakfast group.  We’ve been meeting for more than 40 years.  We discuss politics, religion, money, relationships and the latest gossip.  And, except for the gossip, I know everything they’re going to say and what their solution is to the world’s problems. It’s the continuity and consistency that makes my Thursday morning breakfast comfortable and safe.  I miss it.

I belong to a writer’s group.  We meet once a week at the Dancing Goats.  We’ve only been meeting for a few years, but everyone in the group is an old friend of mine dating back decades.  We do talk writing.  We review each others work and we criticize when necessary and encourage when needed.  But, most of the time we talk politics.  I miss them.

I try to have lunch with my son Brad every Friday.  Sometimes I’m busy and sometimes he’s busy, but we get together fairly regularly.  I’ve talked with him by phone several times, but I miss the lunch we had almost every week at Dirty Daves.

I belong to the Lacey Rotary Club.  I’ve been a member for 46 years.  We meet once a week to network, learn, converse and serve.  We’ve had some ZOOM meeting, but it’s not the same.  I miss them.

I belong to the Lacey South Sound Chamber of Commerce.  While their monthly forums conflict with my Coffee With Ken radio show, I do belong to two of their committees which both meet monthly.

Is it wrong to miss your friends when you have the opportunity to spend 24 hours a day with the woman you love?