First, in the Saturday Essay, Nicole Walker considers her relationship with her partner, Erik, and the ways that raising children fray that relationship. When they sleep apart, the absent intimacy of the shared bed becomes a symbol for their difficulties and for the “notion of ‘one.'” When Walker draws a line between two different kinds of personalities, she must decide where she and her partner fit into the equation.
Then, Maia Morgan holds the myth of the “perfect moment” up the light in the Sunday Essay. Morgan recalls friendships from childhood and adolescence that unraveled and more durable friendships from adulthood that still never quite measured up to her expectations. Loneliness can perpetuate one’s isolation. In the end, we can do more to bring life to our relationships by being open to experience.