All About Dana

It's come to my attention, in gentle but persistent fashion, that I've failed to this point to make any more than a passing reference to my wife Dana and so whilst she sleeps, it's time to make things right.

Dana and I met in August 1999, began dating in January 2000, filed for domestic partnership in the summer of 2001, jumped through legal hoops to join our last names with the humble but much revered hyphen in the autumn of that same year, were married in a church wedding on April 6 2002, and applied for and received our marriage license from San Francisco City Hall on February 15 2004 which was subsequently ruled invalid by some folks who seem to be under the impression that there's something about our relationship that threatens their relationship, the institution of marriage, family values, modern society, democracy, the ozone layer and the rain forests of Brazil. I feel a rant coming on which is causing me to digress horribly from the point of this particular post.

Dana. She's the point. I adore her. Right now there is no human being I know who is more loving, compassionate, thoughtful, supportive, endearing, funny, wise, and beautiful than she. I thought the very same thing yesterday and I would bet my stack of beloved running shoes and my Garmin 305 with heart rate monitor that I'll feel the same thing tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that. Sure thing. Done deal. Case closed.

Since the day I began training last January for the upcoming Portland Marathon, Dana couldn't have offered me more encouragement and support had she sprouted cheerleader pom-poms out of the palm of each hand. For example, this evening. I walked a mere 3 miles and still, she told me she was proud of me for going out there and following through on my training. She tells me that often...that she's proud of me. If a Gentile can be vaklempt, then consider it done at this very moment.

Not many people know this but when I finished the Napa to Sonoma half-marathon in July it wasn't because I was adequately trained, incredibly determined, deeply motivated or desperately hungry to reach my goal. When I wanted to quit because it was too hot and I was too slow and too sore and too discouraged, I kept going for one reason. Dana was at the finish line. She was waiting for me and as over-the-top-gaggy-sweet as this might sound, after six years together, I wanted to see her more than anything. More than the finish line or the shiny finishing medal or a bottle of ice cold water. I wanted to turn the last corner, see her melt-my-heart-everytime-smile, hear her cheering on the sidelines, and know that smile and all the cheering was for me alone. I'm just that selfish.

And I did turn the corner....and she was there smiling and cheering....and it was all for me...and in that moment I knew I already had the greatest prize of all. I've known it all along.

So here you go my dear one. While you were sleeping the one who loves you madly, deeply, and truly said as much on an insignificant little blog read sporadically by a few random wandering souls. Consider this my way of "shouting it from the mountaintops" which I would happily do if I only weren't so tired from today's walk in the heat. Rain check, perhaps?

And by the way, I'm proud of you too.