In the beginning

I've been trying to think of a way to commemorate a very special day at Chez Ragged. I considered a tattoo, but I really don't like needles and I really don't want to expose this body to any unwitting soul. Then I had the bright idea of planting a tree, but we all know the fate of the fig tree.

So, alas, I have nothing, not even a cool gift for my beloved to mark the day. All I have is this pathetic little post.

You see, today is our 10-year anniversary. It marks 10 years of the Ragged-Cynical connection. Whenever I realized that this was indeed our tenth year together, it got me to thinking about us in the "early days."

I met my boy when I was only 27 years old. I had taken a bit of a hiatus from dating, realizing that I wanted some time just to be a girl, not a couple.

We met at work, which is where you find yourself meeting people as your career starts taking up more and more of your time and your social life starts absorbing less and less. He was our departmental assistant, which makes me giggle to think that I started dating my secretary. . . how cliche'.

I wasn't looking for love. I wasn't even hoping for it. I think that is perhaps when you are most open. We were friends, true friends. I liked that and expected nothing more. For once in my life I didn't read anything into dinners out, walks in the snow or late nights over coffee. I took it for what it was: no strings attached, no expectations, no sentimental cards or drive-by stalking.

One night after a dinner with friends, we stopped by my small apartment and sat for a while talking. It was then, sitting together on a couch he had helped me choose, that I learned Cynical hadn't been as passe' about the walks, the dinners and the talks. He liked me and he liked me enough to want to kiss me. And today marks the 10th year since that first kiss.

From there we lived happily ever after. The shoe fit. I had found my lobster.

And for those of you curious about what ended up on our CD, here's the song list:

Ironic................Alanis Morissette
I Will Never Be the Same................Melissa Ethridge
Name................Goo Goo Dolls
Trouble Me................10,000 Maniacs
When It Don't Come Easy................Patty Griffin
Sweet Surrender................Sarah McLachlan
Torn................Natalie Imbruglia
Best of My Love................The Emotions
Hold My Hand................Hootie & The Blowfish
Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First)................John Mellencamp
Tiny Dancer................Elton John
Let's Stay Together................Al Green

Since I am all giddy with happiness and filled with love, I thought I'd spread both around by offering each of you that submitted an entry in the contest a CD. All you gotta do is send your name and address to raggedaroundtheedges at hotmail dot com.

. . . And the official winner of the Ragged-Cynical 10 Year Grand Prize is EMILY! Something about her compilation touched me, maybe it's the diversity in her list or maybe it's because she included a Poison song, but either way, she captured my attention and will receive a hand-knitted item, a CD of her own and some other goodies from my stash.