Five Years a Writer

Scilla, a hardy early spot of colour in my Canadian prairie flowerbed: a sure sign that change is coming Many years ago, an acquaintance asked me who my partner was. “Why, Val, of course,” I replied. “Oh my goodness,” came the response. “You’re still with her ?” The tone was incredulous, the message clear: After all these years and you’re still with that woman. The implied exclamation points did not suggest anything positive. I was astonished then and remain so. That anyone would suggest that a connection cemented over time, that a commitment firmed through the ups and downs of experience is not something to honour and nurture, to cherish and to work with. Of course, not every relationship is worthy of such respect. Some should never have been started never mind have lasted; some should cease limping along out of mere habit. But ending a relationship purely ‘for the sake of change’ or because ‘it’s been X number of years and new is better’ is, in my view, an odd approach to living in ...