Consider this the hint of the century.  

Anyone who has been married for a while knows marriage can be great but that it isn't always easy. One can't help but wonder if the grass is greener on the other side.  I did a back of the napkin calculation (yes, the kind I tend to frown upon) to see just how many green blades might actually be out there...  We'll call it "all in good fun."

First, they have to be male.  I don't think at this point in my life this is a negotiable point so with that, half the population is eliminated.

50%

They don't necessarily have to be vegan like I currently am but if they are, they can't be a crazed animal activist. (Feeling that the way our society treats animals bred for food can be cruel is fine, however.) 

If they aren't vegan it still goes without saying they can't be a meat and potatoes kind of guy and they have to want to eat healthily. There will never be mayonnaise or Oreos or Hamburger Helper in my kitchen.  The guys want sausages with their football?  I hope it's okay that they are low fat chicken.  Uh, sorry... can I make up for it later?  ;) ?

I don't think I am weird about food, I think everyone else is.  Maybe that thought confirms I am indeed weird but I prefer to think I have convictions. So, estimate that 20% of guys would be somewhat okay without as much steak.  (And with a little "making up for it")

You also have to be active.  I'm not too picky here, just active (again, without being a crazed active person).  Let's assume if you are choosy about food the way I am, you are likely to be active so no percentage points lost. Whew!  :)  We are now at

10%

They would have to feel the same way towards religion as I do.  That's solidly non-negotiable.  5% feel the way I do so now we're down to

.5%

Oh yeah... they also would have to be available.  In the right age group 10% maybe?  With kids I can accept and that can accept me.  If we just forget the latter part of that and use 10% we now get 

.05%

Yikes.  I haven't even gotten to attraction which is sure to whittle down the number significantly yet again because while I may seem friendly, I don't let go easily.  I have really only been deeply attracted to two people in my entire life and depending on how I decide to define attraction at the moment, maybe not even two. Maybe I feel attraction for different reasons than most people?  I don't have and never have had a celebrity crush and I don't care if you are stereotypically drop-dead gorgeous, I probably don't feel any spark for you whatsoever.  I sound a little inanimate... 

You have to be young at heart.  Strong but still empathetic (this request is asking a lot, I know).  Likes and dislikes and lifestyle have to mesh.  Not match, mesh. The grass is surely getting pretty thin by now.

But, just for the sake of argument (and easy math), let's say that attraction and lifestyle aren't as big of an obstacle as they probably really are and that half of the remaining options are fabulous and also find me fabulous. (Smirk... so unrealistic!)

.025%

So, if I met 10,000 people... three of them might be possibilities.  Three.  Out of 10,000.

Okay, forget it.  I don't see any grass at all...  

Happiness... it's such a delicately tethered thing for me lately.  Most of the time, I look around and see my amazing children and how the clouds embrace the sky and all is good.  But other times, I wonder why I have settled for so many things, why I have chosen the path I did and how did I get here? (Hello David Bryne.)

Funny thing about life is you're walking so slowly and yet suddenly you look back and see that you've actually covered a lot of ground.  How many steps remain?  Which direction should they take?  Who and what is worth bringing on this slow yet rapid journey?

Where did the time go.

I don't have time to stop treading, but I must.  I must stand and think about direction. (Hello Michael Stipe.)  I have to stop to honestly notice my surroundings and look around into infinite, unknown and scary distances and decide in which direction my next steps should take.  

If only I had the confidence, faith and trust of Siddhartha.

All I know is the path I walk now is flat, grassy and easy to navigate.  If one wears rose-colored glasses it's actually comfortable and quite lovely.  But, there are few places to shelter from the near constant storms and the older I get the less I seem to like to get wet. And, so far I can't control or predict the weather.

Do I walk towards the mountains and take the arduous climb?  Would I reach the summit in time to enjoy the view?  Would I enjoy the view?

Do I stay on my comfortable path, build a fortress, watch everyone smile and settle in?

All that's at stake is happiness.  And, not just mine.

Quinoa is a seed that cooks up like a grain.  Related to beets and spinach, quinoa is high in protein (14% protein by mass) and considered to be a complete protein.  It is also a good source of fiber, phosphorus, magnesium, iron and calcium. Quinoa is also gluten free and easy to digest.

Cool fact:  quinoa is being considered a possible crop in NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration human occupied spaceflights because of it's nutritional properties.

Quinoa is similar in taste and texture to couscous (which is essentially tiny pasta bits) only more interesting. It has a wonderful little "tail" on it that makes it fluff up wonderfully.  It comes in multiple colors, too.  

To cooled quinoa add:

• 1/3 cup dried fruit of choice, chopped if necessary (cranberry, apricots, mangoes...)
• 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds (Trader Joe's usually has them packaged)
• 1/3 cup coarsly chopped nuts, candied pecans are awesome here
• a generous drizzle of good balsamic vinegar (about 3 T, can be mixed with a little honey)
• salt and pepper to taste
• That's it, really.  Ingredients can be changed up as you like.

Quinoa Salad #2
Veggy

To cooled quinoa add:

Quinoa Salad #2
Southwest

To cooled quinoa add:

• 1/2 can drained and rinsed black beans
• 1/3 cup fresh or roasted corn kernels
• 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• small handful of chopped red onion or scallion
• small handful of chopped cilantro
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• salt to taste
• juice of about two limes (or lemons)
• top with avocado slices if you like

  

 You get the idea.  Endless healthy and delicious possibilities!

If you're looking for something trendy, fun & blingy look no further!  We have a new artisan line that has the punch to amp up even a jeans and tee outfit.  This is meant as fun, kitschy adornment. While we normally don't venture this far on the trend side, we thought Rocks Paper Metal was worth a small diversion.  

After all, girls just want to have fun!

Not sure I even want to comment on this. At the heart so human, vulnerable, unsure -- an endearing look into Darwin's personal evolution. Don't we all wonder...  From Eric Pfeiffer, Yahoo News, August 14, 2012.

Despite devoting his life to science, Charles Darwin had a long and reportedly happy marriage, fathering 10 children after proposing to his cousin Emma Wedgwood in 1838.

But the naturalist and father of modern evolutionary theory wasn't always sold on matrimony, writing out a list of pros and cons on marriage in a journal entry that was first made public on Tuesday.

The musings are part of the Darwin Correspondence Project, an online database of Darwin's writings, and were discovered by the site Brain Pickings.

Using the back of a letter from a friend, Darwin sketched out some of his thoughts in a journal entry dated April 7, 1838.

Amongst the pros: "constant companion," "charms of music & female chit-chat"

And some of the perceived cons: "means limited, Feel duty to work for money. London life, nothing but Society, no country, no tours, no large Zoolog. Collect. no books. … Could I live in London like a prisoner?"

In July, just four months before his proposal, Darwin returned to his list.

On the possibility of having children: "Children —(if it Please God) — Constant companion, (& friend in old age) who will feel interested in one, — object to be beloved & played with. — —better than a dog anyhow."

But after several back and forth meditations, Darwin eventually reached the following conclusion: "Marry — Marry — Marry Q.E.D."

And, in fact, Darwin and Wedgwood stayed together for the next 44 years, until the time of his death in 1882.

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