"are you married?" Why is that one of the first two questions always asked when you first meet someone? That and "What do you do?" To that one I always respond, "About what?" "What do I do for a living?, for fun?, for my spirit?, I need more specifics!" Ah! Ah! I don't seem to have an answer to the one about marriage. I stutter, I stammer...I make a joke, usually. Last night I was out at a bar and I met a couple. The man's first words to me, after Hi, were, "are you married?" I am not. I am ok with that. Or at least I thought I was. Maybe I am not? I do want to be married but it just has not happened yet...I have a good life, I do. I am missing something. I am missing that part of my life. That piece of the pie...that piece about 6 inchs long, or 7? Ha! See how the telling of the joke works? No, really, I am tired of being asked this question over and over again as an opening to a relationship. But now I think I am more tired of my reaction to the question. Why am I so irritated by words, a simple, unassuming question? Why do I want to yell at the top of my lungs at the messenger of these words and kick them in the neck? I am now starting to think this is my quest. Not to get married, because let's face it folks, that part is the easy part...but the quest is why if I am happy and why if I do know I will find that relationship, that partnership some day and I do think this...why does it bother me to be asked this? To be thrown up against this measurement as if being judged? I am judging myself. I am on the quest people. Putting my panama jack hat on, lacing up my hiking boots, sporting my khaki shorts and heading out. Stay tuned cause it is gonna be a bumpy, exhilirating, eventful, fun, challenging, sad, hopeful, brilliant and a whole bunch of other adjectives ride. The goal? To determine why this makes me want to scream. Once I know that I believe that I can move forward and get that piece of pie. I'm just saying...