Seven

Someone who has made your life worth living for.

Okay, is this someone who has made my life worth living for...as in, I would be living my life for that person? Or is this just a poorly worded question that means someone that has made my life worth living? Some of the grammatical errors and questionable language in this list of prompts leads me to believe that it is the latter of the above listed options.

I'll go with that. Someone who has made my life worth living.

Well, to be blunt, my first answer is nobody. I love my wife and kid more than anything. They make me immensely happy. I cannot imagine my life without them. I cannot, however, say that my life would not be worth living without them. Let me explain:

There are two scenarios involved in this question. The first scenario involves having them and losing them. The second involves never having had them in the first place (as in Kimberly and I never met, or we broke up along the way, therefore Cohen doesn't exist).

The first scenario is devastating. Having known and loved my wife and son, if I lost them, it would take some serious searching to find a reason to continue. I know that sounds a little extreme, but it's true. I would hole up in my house (which I would eventually lose, because I would not be able to pay for it from not going to work), and it would take a hell of a lot to get me out and living again.

So, in scenario #1, my wife and kid definitely do make my life worth living.

In scenario #2, I never met Kimberly, or we broke up early in our relationship, therefore Cohen does not exist. Let's say Kimberly dumped me when I was 19 because it didn't appear that I had a real future (which was a real danger back then, if Kimberly's family had their way....oh...that slipped out. Sorry*). For the sake of argument, let's say she married.... oh.... hypothetically... some guy... let's just call him... ummmmmm. B.J.

Kimberly dumped me, and sure I was distraught (I mean, have you seen her?). However, I've been rejected my fair share of times through my life (believe it or not!), and I survived. Years down the line, this would have been another relationship that had potential, but just didn't come to fruition.

Granted, in this scenario, it is impossible to know whether I would have gone out and found someone else (of course, no one would have compared...but I would not know that. I would not have dated Kimberly for even a year in this scenario). I may, however, have ended up 31 years old and single, with no hope for a real relationship. I surely can't afford a house by myself with what I make, so I'd probably be in an apartment with a roommate, still.

So, I guess, looking at it, Scenario #2 makes my life (and I mean the life I have led, as in the path I have chosen, not the literal meaning of the word life) worth living.

Look, all of this is a really big stretch. I can speculate forever on what may or may not have happened if Kimberly and I didn't make it. The reality, though, is that we did. No matter which way I try to look at it, Kimberly (and subsequently Cohen) both have made the life I chose worth it.

So my blunt, first answer was wrong, apparently.

*I say that about Kimberly's family, because at the time it was true. I was 19. I had no real future. I had no plans for college. They weren't crazy about me. I resented that for a while. However, if I look at it from their perspective, I must admit that it definitely made sense. If I had an 18-year-old daughter that was graduating high school and starting college, and she started dating the 19-year-old version of me, I'd be a little wary, too. Of course, it's all good in the hood now...as far as I know.