Inertia helped us survive the "inertia" comment

When a friend asked Other and me for the secret of our long relationship—41 years!—Other quipped, "Inertia." I laughed, of course, then felt a little hurt by his lack of sentiment. (His comment coincided with a particularly unromantic Christmas for which the single item on his wish list was a high-end vacuum cleaner, and he gave me a phone for the hard of hearing.) But thinking it over, I am repeatedly struck by its essential truth. There may be a prettier way of saying it, but inertia provides a stronger bond than all the couples counseling in the world. Of course, whether it leads to happiness is another question.