There is a comic (though stinging) adage I shall forever recall; namely, “If she knows why she loves him, she doesn’t!”

If one were to celebrate a 30th Anniversary together, say on February 24th, 2026 – going back to the same day in the year 1996 when I was entertaining a breakfast congregation of friends from the city, what would one say about what makes it work?

To begin, there is the admission that in spite of our longevity together, I am having difficulty identifying and characterizing the successful elements of our partnership. Apparently the secretive nature of the relationship is what maintains its endurance.  I am equally certain that if I were to attempt a list of beneficent features of the union I would either be at a loss to do so or I would misspeak the authority. Instead I prefer to recollect the many wonderful times we’ve spent together over the past three decades.

It doesn’t seem to matter what precisely we’ve done or where in the world we were. The objective was never voiced. Nor had we to insist upon any particular mode of conduct to preserve our alliance.  Seamlessly we blended into a conjoined state of being. There is a great deal between us which merits the glib comment, “sous entendu” (understood).

The relationship was not without its accommodation. As with most things in life, events went up and down. Every time something significant happened to alter the immediate course of life, we too moved upstream, at times holding onto one another. We bounced back from the occasional tribulation (though admittedly not entirely free of the scrapes and bruises as proof).

Each of us remembers our days of youth, spirited by unknown and unexplained ambitions. But the distinction of our personal evolution has decidedly been within the sphere of our interconnection. In summary, the best years of my life!