At dance rehearsal last night, we had a really interesting conversation about relationships.

And then we pulled out the old chairs, the ones that have been painted black—and then taped together in their broken places—and then painted black again. We danced to John Lee Hooker.

Our choreographer wasn’t there—he had tech for his company shows—and I don’t know how this topic originally came up, but somehow there was a discussion of young girls and their boyfriends and their need for boyfriends and how to raise your children so they have their own sense of self worth.

At one point, E. told us about a conversation she had had with one of her students. She had said that “the guy you are going to marry isn’t just a guy that you find and make a decision about. He should be much more than that. He should be your best friend. Why else would you want to spend the rest of your life with him?”

It’s an obvious statement, yes, but it made me realize some things.