I googled this once: "Do lobsters really mate for life?" The answer, not surprisingly, was no. There are other animals that mate for life but Phoebe, of course, missed the mark on this one. It's a nice thought, though; and anyone who was ever even slightly invested in the Rachel-and-Ross saga, wanted to believe in those lobsters, myself included.
My friends and I have asked ourselves this question many times: Are there things such as soulmates and if so, how does it work? Any romantic would hope that a soulmate is delivered by fate or providence and consequently, hand-crafted and uniquely perfect for you. But is it like that? Republican, Moderate, Democrat, whoever you vote for, one of my favorite love stories is of Ronald and Nancy Reagan. He was married before but once he met Nancy, he never looked back. He wrote her the most precious letters and always talked of her and looked at her with such longing. After years of Alzheimers that robbed him of all their memories together, it was her eyes he searched for as he drew his last breath. I don't know anyone like that; and that makes me so sad.
I have always wanted to believe that there was literally one person in the world for me. That if I lost him, that was it. No hope, no searching, just loss. Because God would want that kind of rarity, right? I wanted to know that I was looking for someone specifically carved for me -- that he'd embody the right amount of humor and creativity but enough levelheadedness to bring me back to reality. That he would love me something rare and unruly. We would follow each other wherever life took us -- places far and alone but it'd be okay, because we'd be happy and whole.
Then I thought about people I love who have lost their spouses. Are they finished? I'd like to think they're not. What if I found my lobster when I was 20 and he died at 25? Am I really destined to never find love again? I don't think that kind of cruelty is the love God had planned. But then, the thought of God not having some bigger plan means that we're all left to chance and that seems so unromantic.
Basically, I want a real-life lobster.
