Double-vision

Several of you may have heard me remark before that I'm a slow learner.  The specific context of that statement is rooted in the fact that it took me two attempts to squeeze a degree out of college, didn't get lasting sobriety until the 2nd bounce...hell...even had to marry the same wonderful woman twice to truly "get it".  Maybe I shouldn't be so proud of such facts, but I do love identifying such...patterns.

While loading the truck up with a pair of bikes Sunday morning (one GT mountain bike, one KTM motorcycle) I found myself nearly overwhelmed by all the "2's" in my life.  More specifically, how many things that I find truly important to my very being that have come in pairs.  Now the fact I was combining two disciplines of riding into one trip is an easy entry on the "2's" list, but as any OCD fella on a 45 minute solo trip in 11 degree weather would do, I felt it only right that I keep compiling the list. 

As noted above, both of my marriages to my current wife rank at the top.  I do not recommend this approach to marital bliss, but it's what makes ours what it is.  I also make my affection and gratitude for a certain fellowship represented by two capital letters pretty well known.  It's rather obvious that anything with two wheels gets my attention, always has.  This love of two has been with me in some combination or variety for 37 of my 41 years.   But what else?

How about...my two sons?  Yes, without a doubt, I loved Benjamin (truly more than I really thought was humanly possible) the moment he arrived, but something about the addition of Thomas seems to have completed this family.  It's not just a "black & white" thing (or, "chocolate & peach" as we say at home) but way more complicated.  They are SO different, but so much the same and near-always complimentary in a wide variety of ways.  Somehow each of them makes me love the other one even more...and...vice versa.  I'd love either one if they were my only child, but having two is far more than double the love.

From there my mind went far broader, more general, and maybe much shallower:  What other things only work "by two"?  Night & day.  Asleep & awake.  Good & Bad.  Left & Right.  Other life couplings that came to mind?  Mom & Dad.  My sisters, Debbie & Stephanie.  Passed away pets, Henry & Lucy.  Other pairs that make my daily life as complete as it is?  1) Diet 2) Pepsi.  1) Moose 2) Tracks.  1) Rainbow 2) Sherbet. 

As I approached my riding destination, I was amazed how quickly the windshield time passed with this "quest for pairs" topic bouncing between my (two!) ears.  And dammit, putting the words "pairs" and "bouncing" in the same sentence leads us right to a totally-Tony-appropriate thought to end this topic:  boobs  =)

Anyway, reading back over this tells me it may just be an unintentional waste of two things:  my time typing and your time reading.  Oh well...