Mom Really Did Know Best

Ladies, remember when your mom used to tell you it was just as easy to fall in love with a rich man as it was a poor man? Or perhaps it was a great aunt Sally or a good friend who encouraged you to marry "well." If you're anything like me, of course you scoffed at the strong whiff of "gold digger" this advice gave off. You weren't in it for money or security (how old fashioned!). You were in it for love. Besides, you're a modern woman and can take care of yourself just fine, thank you very much. So, like me, you too have probably spent too many years with a guy who it turned out was never going to marry you (of course he ended up marrying the very next girl he dated after only six months), dated "the love of your life" artist/musician/writer who was chronically underemployed (which was so cool and anti-establishment when you were 20, but smacked of irresponsible loser when you were 30), or really thought you'd found "The One" only to find out he was cheating on you. All of which leads to people buying you spinster cat lady tote bags and drinking alone on Friday nights. So what's the point of this little waltz down memory lane? Aside from the obvious fun of picking at old scabs, I mean? Well, I'm older now and, every once in a while, wiser. Today I had a moment of wisdom. It came to me, as most of my best thoughts do, while having cocktails with a friend. Here it is: If I had taken that advice I'd be divorced by now. Yes, that's right. And cashing my alimony checks. Oh sure, I'd still be drinking alone on Friday nights, but the wine would be so much more expensive.