a sip of life.

Look, like ten people read this blog. So I'm going to trade in on that anonymity to get down and dirty and all up in my own business.

I have a crush on the most amazing and Godly man in the whole world. And we've known each other almost since I got here, so "four seasons" down, we could get married tomorrow.

Yeah.

Except that we couldn't And this conversation between me and my bestie back in Chicago will tell you everything you need to know.

Me: [Sigh, murmur, sigh] "He's so great," blah blah blah.

Her: "Ok, then why are you planning to stay as far away from him as possible? You've always been a talker-outer."

Me: "It's pretty clear he's not interested. He's had plenty of opportunity to ask by now, if he were. And plenty of motive--I'm pretty fantastic."

Ver.Bat.Im.

Her: "How do you know? Have you thought about asking him? Because for all you know, he could be sitting there wondering if you're interested." [Comforting sounds of the blue line in the background.]

And then, friends, I had to do it. I had to tell her about dating with conservative Christians.

Me: "Yeah, well, about that. See, there's like this thing down here about girls asking guys out. They just don't."

It's at this point that I started worrying that this was another gag played on me by some over-eager Christians. But then remembered the bevy of girls I've asked since I first heard of it, including my L.A.-born, very-normal roommate, who affirmed it. Girls don't ask. (Coincidentally, they do tell, as I've learned from some married women down here.)

Me: "It's, like, a part of the culture. I think the idea behind is that if he can't balls up to ask you out, he probably won't be able to take on other important aspects of domestic leadership."

Her: "Seriously?"

Me: "Yeah, look, I know it's Amish, but it's just part of the culture."

Her: "Ok, but do you want that kind of relationship? I mean, really.. leader of the household? I mean, it'd be one thing if you actually were Amish, but..."

Me: "Well, you know, I'd like to keep the vote. But yeah, I want some liberal version of that. The 'head of the household' is not at all how you're imagining it anyway. "

The rest of the conversation devolves into a discussion of exactly how Amish my amazing, and Godly crush actually is, and whether or not my decision to back off is a function of my supposed talker-outer disposition, or real wisdom.

Regardless, I felt the moment was too good not to share. When I moved here, I didn't just meet Christ, I met His word, and the many seemingly whacky (and many not-so-whacky) ways in which His word is lived.

Usually, I'm too busy living the moment to enjoy it for what it is--funny, and real, and sometimes confusing, and illustrative, and altogether wonderful--but tonight, I'm just blessed enough to sip it slowly, tasting the complexity of what my life has become.

Cheers.