One of the most unexpected parts of marriage (for me, at any rate) is that it insists, in no uncertain language, that it is Time to Grow Up. It’s so much easier to make immature decisions when you’re single: not because your wedding band dispenses a magic responsibility potion into your bloodstream (though I will admit that this is a good idea) but because your decisions visably affect someone else now.

The latest example of this phenomenon, for us, came when we had a meeting with a financial services company on the subject of Life Insurance.

First of all: let’s call it what it is. It is not actually life insurance. It is death insurance. What do you call the kind of insurance you get to protect against floods? Do you call it “Not Having a Flood Insurance?” Or maybe “Dry Insurance?” No, you don’t. That would be silly.

Second: if you have never bought life insurance before, you should know that it will make you think about questions that are very uncomfortable. For instance:

• How long do you think you’ll live?
• What would you do if your spouse died?
• What would need to be taken care of? The house? Children? Funeral expenses?
• How much money is your life worth?

How do you even start answering questions like these? It’s mind-boggling, and it feels nonsensical, like trying to figure out how many cotton balls it would take to replace your hammer. No amount of money could ever replace a person, especially not the one person in the world that you love more than anyone else. But somehow, you have to come up with a number, and hope that it’s the right one, and hope even more that no one will ever have to collect it.

Tomorrow we are hosting Thanksgiving at our house for the first time. While I am grateful for many things this year, it’s sometimes good to remember that I can be thankful just to be alive, and to be married to someone who is also alive. If there’s one thing that reminds you that life is priceless, it’s trying to put a price on life.

And, on a cheerier note, our Thansgiving promises to be pretty delightful–we have purchased a television antenna so that there can be football, and Ron (Kelly’s father) and I are barbecuing the turkey, and there will be a frozen fruit cocktail appetizer courtesy of the Fields family (A Tradition), and Kelly is fantastic at making the house welcoming, and it’s going to be great all around.

We wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving.