It's like cancer

I'm not sure if I commented on this yet or not... but in a way, Palpatine has been good for my marriage. Maybe it's God's way of telling me not to be a workaholic. And friends, had things continued on the blissful trail to Utopia that I was so merrily traversing before Palpatine's arrival... well, I don't know how much wy wife would have tolerated it. Lots of late nights, week-ends, and time otherwise dedicated to home and spouse were being more and more diverted to career. Now, I'm looking for ways of maintaining happiness outside of the workplace, and home and marriage are certainly the first and obvious place to turn.

I've also been becoming more aware about how much I fit into the typical American man who defines himself primarily bvy his career. So what happens when the career is gone? You get rising statistics in post-retirement depression and suicide. I'd rather that not be me.

It is also important to note that my wife is also currently unhappy with her job. Thus, both of us return from a hard days work, anticipating an environment of comfort and support. Fortunately, we have been mutually enthusiastic about trying to provide that for each other. Perhaps its because when I'm taking over cooking responsibilities for the evening, I'm not only providing reflief for my work-weary spouse, I'm distracting myself from my own demons in a way that is much more effective than drowning myself in the television or on the computer.

This situation also set the stage for our vacation a few weeks ago, which we both embarked upon with the express intent of forgetting about our woes for a while. In all honesty, it was the best vacation we've ever taken together.

But before I get too appreciative of the serendipitous effect of the Imperial presence in my life, I will refer to the cancer patients who point out that the benefits of their experience include a profound clarity with which they reorganized their life priorities. As good as that may be, I'm sure they'd still rather not have cancer.