Party favors and marriage counseling

Many folks would say that’s what I gave them when they sat across from me at a party.

All I have to do is to ask a few specific questions about someone’s relationship—like,

What do you like about each other right now? If your life was a book, what chapter would you say you're in?

And people will ask me if I’m secretly a marriage counselor.

In my experience, our friends rarely ask such questions, as they don’t find a natural place in conversation. It’s up to strangers like me with no context to stir the pot. If I’m going to sit with you for ten minutes and maybe never see you again, let’s make these minutes count.

It feels good, doesn’t it? To say a kind word to your partner and hear one in return. There’s a facial expression I delight in witnessing. How someone can light up hearing a compliment that feels really nice. It sinks in slowly and then spreads throughout their body, like a shiver.