A beginning

Today has been a gloriously wonderful day.
Maybe it's because it's the third sunny day in a row after a cold, dark winter.
Maybe it's because I just read Practical Magic, watched The Lives of Others and PBS' new Sense and Sensibility on Masterpiece Theater--all incredibly uplifting, satisfactory pieces of art.
But I think it's because I got a call at 7:45 this morning.
It was Brian--in New Mexico.
"I just got done working out," he said. He cleared his throat from the phlegm that comes when you've just exerted yourself. "I can't believe I got up at 5 to work out." (It's 2 hours earlier there). "For you," he added, sort of accusatory. He probably meant it to be a good-hearted jab, but they were the sweetest words I've heard in a long time.
Brian got up early and exercised. For me.

Let me start at the beginning. This is Our Mythology after all, so we should have an Origin Tale. Well, this isn't The beginning but it is A beginning:

Once upon a time, there was a princess who fell under the spell of a Not So Nice Man. He hypnotized her with his smooth, creamy voice that reminded her of hot chocolate and the smell of pine. He was a short man with a big ego; he was also not very good looking, so he used his powers to slowly erase the princess' senses so she would not be tempted to look at anyone but him. First, he removed color: red, then blue, orange, then yellow, til all that was left was a grey green haze like the color of bad odors and quiet desperation. The grey green permeated everywhere so that even the food tasted like overcooked pasta and she had to add black pepper and jalapenos to everything she ate. Then he took over her memories so that she couldn't remember life before him and therefore would never wish to leave.
But one day, a prince saw the princess at a friends house and felt the sadness she always carried with her. He went down to a fresh mountain stream and gathered purple tulips that grew wild there, for everyone knows flowers that bloom from hard, ugly bulbs after lying dormant all winter carry with them magic more powerful than any other. He sent the tulips to the princess with a note of good cheer and at the end he signed it "You're the best".
The princess was amazed at the flowers. She could not remember seeing anything so lovely as those purple tulips, and then she realized it had been such a long time since she had noticed the color purple. She read the note and almost cried. No one, except maybe her parents, had told her she was the best. At least, not for a very long time.
She put the tulips in a vase on the kitchen table just as Not So Nice Man walked in. He didn't notice the flowers since he never noticed things that were delicate and beautiful. He demanded a tuna fish sandwich and sat across the table from the princess after she made it for him, smacking his lips with relish. The princess noticed that the smell of fish was so strong. Her stomach churned and she squirmed in her chair. Maybe it was the contrast with the perfume from the flowers, but as she watched the Not So Nice Man chewing, chomping on that sandwich, she realized the reeking odor was from him. She saw his jaws crushing, tearing at the dead fish sandwich and realized what a monster he really was. At last the spell was broken, and the princess could not love the Not So Nice Man anymore. It was even hard to look at him, now that the world was in color again.
So the prince and the princess became friends. And the world seemed to jump out at the princess into a new dimension. He was so handsome, and funny, and strong. He made her feel beautiful and smart and witty. But she was wary--after all, she knew that in a 3-D theater people wearing funny glasses would reach out, expecting to feel what their eyes told them were right in front of them, and would end up grabbing air and looking like fools.
But the prince was always there. And when he was there, she found rainbows in puddles, and fast food tasted like fine cusine, and when they danced they became part of the music. So the princess pleaded, "Don't ever leave me" and the prince promised that he would always be there.
When they got married on a snowy day in January, all the princess cared about was the simple ceremony that would seal them together for time and all eternity. After that, the line of guests that waited to meet them and the goldfish centerpieces and purple flowers for their reception was just icing on the lemon cake. Now that they were sealed they would always be together.
Except, except what if something separated them here on earth? They were so madly in love that even 15 years after they were married and had 4 darling children, the idea that either one would stray was laughable. But Time, and Health, and Accidents were always lurking like a dark cloud that the princess just could not shake.
The prince worked very late hours and traveled often all over the land. Whenever the prince would come home from a trip, the princess' shoulders would drop and she realized she had been walking around with her shoulders up around her ears. When the prince would come home, the princess would sigh deeply and realize her shallow breaths had gotten shallower and farther apart while he was gone. A thousand worries and pressures suddenly vanished with the sound of his step at the door. The princess realized that she was only ever truly, truly happy when they were together.
And so, she fought Time by doing everything together that they could on the weekends. Even picking up milk. And she fought Accidents by trying to get the prince to slow down when he drove and to pay attention to brake lights. And she fought Health by nagging the prince to take better care of himself. Because everyday with the prince was better than a thousand days without him.
But the prince didn't like to do things that weren't his idea. He loved spending time with his family on the weekends. And when it came to driving, well, he happened to be a very capable driver despite his love for speed and short stops. But giving up good food and exercising were not a priority. He worked hard and he deserved a good meal and some relaxation.
But he could see how much it meant to the princess so he got out of bed an hour early, and worked out. Just for her.
And the princess knew she had won one more day from Health for her and the prince to be together.