And I'm not bitter, no. It's just I've past that point in my life.

I went to F1’s reception yesterday, and it was amazing.

I have no choice but to retract all negative thoughts about that relationship. Her two younger siblings were there, bored to tears, so I entertained them for a few minutes with stories of bad road trips and drivers who forget they are in America. F1’s mom was also present and very interested in talking. I like to think she had no choice because she was so impressed with me after the initial fifteen second wedding-line conversation (after all I DID wear nice shoes). She possilby could have simply needed a warm, almost familiar face with which to converse; she too knew all of three out of the 60 adults present. I was happy to oblige and left after an hour and a half with the best piece of wedding cake I’ve ever had and a long hug from a close friend. I’ve needed one of those for months.

Driving home, I had a transcendent moment of peace; the turmoil that is my normal life disappeared. Everything fit - the shade of the sky, the number of clouds in it, the hum of my truck, even poor Carrabba’s song about the little things that make a person special. I thought about being back with that group of friends I made almost two years ago - the eleven of us back together again, laughing like old times.

I thought about a friend of mine who recently went through a confusing, abrupt break-up that put her in shambles for a while. The last time we talked, she said, “Mike, I think my problem is I get too involved. Too much of my identity is caught up in finding and being with someone else. If I don’t have someone to love/love me, I don’t have anything. I think I need to zoom out for a while and take some ‘me’ time. I think I need to better learn to be happy with me rather than me with soandso." I certainly understand where she’s coming from, and I think there is a lot of emotional health to be found in being content with oneself as a lone individual. I don’t particularly like that image, and I haven't really worried about Mike's image of himself in a long time. But truthfully, driving home Tuesday evening, I fully agreed that being happy with ones own indiviuality was a necessity, and maybe, the one thing so many unhappy people lack.

I'm ready I am - The Format