Bones to pick? I can't remember what they were!

It has been two weeks since I last posted. At the time, I was in the midst of a snowstorm barreling up the east coast. Today, in the center of the country, spring is in full bloom. Change is in the air.

My son’s interests have shifted with the change in seasons. Hockey is out, baseball is in. The first practice was last weekend, with another scheduled for today. This is a new team that is playing in a “competitive” league. The level of intensity will be up from last year, with longer practices. Unlike the past two years, I won’t be involved as a coach with his team, as there are already three assistant coaches who are helping the head coach with this team. So I’ll have a couple of hours of free time during his practices.

On another topic: You may recall that, back in January, I approached my wife about the absence of sexual interactions in our relationship. The ensuing conversation covered some important topics, but none of them were discussed in any depth. A couple of weeks later, I suggested a time for us to get, as I called it, “reacquainted”. Her immediate response was “I’ve got some bones to pick with you”, although she would not tell me what those issues were. A couple of days later, I asked her to at least tell me what those “bones” were. She was not willing to at the moment, but said she would let me know what they were when we had time for a private conversation.

So, yesterday, I had a time-consuming errand to run and asked her to lunch after I was done. We had a pleasant lunch, talking about class that she is teaching at a small local college and about our son. Near the end of the lunch, I reminded her that she had some “bones” to pick with me and asked her what they were. Her response? “I can’t remember”. She said that she is feeling pretty happy with me, because I’ve been returning her phone calls and, apparently, paying attention to her. From my perspective, I haven’t been doing anything differently than what I have always been doing. Give me some time, she said, and I’ll remember what the issues were. Whatever - take as much time as you need. Obviously the issues she had were not substantive. On the other hand, the issues that I have remain unresolved.

In thinking about our interactions, I feel like we are playing a slow and easy game of volleyball. I’ll loft a ball over the net into her half-court. Eventually, she hits it back. Is it time to play a different game? Baseball, perhaps. I’m a pretty good hitter and fielder and can throw a mean fastball, though my control is a bit iffy.