The Space Between...

I have held off on commenting on the fiasco that is the Sanford's marriage, because it's not a topic I enjoy commenting on. For the first two years I practiced law, I did a fair amount of domestic work. I eagerly got out of it, because it is, in my opinion, the most depressing field of law. Even if you "win," it's often not a happy result.

But in those two years (along with just my experience as a regular person observing those I have come into contact with), I learned one universal truth: more often than not, a lot of people spend large portions of their life miserable. I saw many people who never should have gotten married at all, because they did not understand the commitment. I saw people who stayed together far too long, because they placed too much importance on the opinions of others or on misguided notions of what was "right."

In the past week, we've heard a lot about how the Sanfords need to work things out for the kids, etc. I even heard some ridiculous preacher on tv last night saying that for Christians, marriages often become relationships of obedience rather than passion. Folks...that's fucked up. Life is too short to be unhappy. Yes, it would be great for them and for the kids if Jenny and Mark loved each other. But I think it's pretty obvious they don't.

God knows, before a week ago, I would have thought it would impossible for me to feel pity for Mark Sanford. Guess what, I was wrong. There have been rumors forever about how close these two really were. And I think we're seeing that they were not. And with all due respect, if you think Jenny Sanford is the walking incarnate, god bless you. Go buy one of those ridiculous "Stand with Jenny" shirts. But if you have paid attention to this whole thing unfold, it sure seems like she can be a little cold and calculating, doesn't it? And something tells me she did not just grow those traits out of this scandal.

Here's to hoping Sanford just resigns (which is looking more and more likely with the seeming McMaster-Bauer deal concerning 2010 apparently cut) and gets to go find the love he is so obviously missing from his life. Trust me, as a kid from a broken home, some couples ain't meant to stay together.

Finally...I went with the pic above, because it kind of shows just how "close" these two were.