Things I don't know

I'm almost two months into my 25th year of life and am 100% not where I thought I would be. I'm okay with that, I'm rolling with the punches and riding that rollercoaster of life, but looking back, I got to thinking about happiness and satisfaction. I think it's great that we as human beings are always pushing the limits, trying to be better and do better, but it makes me wonder, are we ever truly satisfied? 

This past year, I said multiple times how incredibly happy I was with where my life had taken me. I had great friends, a job at a company I loved going to work for 40+ hours a week and a dog that I loved more than all of that. That being said, I got to a point where I was ready for the next step in my career and subsequently took it. I now work for one of 30 NBA teams and I absolutely love it, but reflecting on 2012, I know I'll get to a point where this stepping stone needs to be left behind. Why is it our satisfaction is only fleeting? I know we change constantly, so our goals must change, but I hate the idea that lasting satisfaction isn't really lasting. Can we ever be completely satisfied while still wanting more? Or are we constantly working to attain another level of satisfaction, like rescuing the elusive Princess Peach after those stupid Goomba's constantly evaded Mario's grasp?

Maybe I need to make a point to think of satisfaction as a brief result, something concrete. A medal or cookie that you enjoy as you bask in your awesomeness of a job well done. It's the reward you get for finally accomplishing something, which should be good enough for me. So if you think of satisfaction as a tangible noun, it's great. You can attain it and keep it up on the shelf for as long as you want. If you think of it as a feeling, well, good luck trying to maintain it and major kudos if you do. Am I alone in these thoughts or have you been one of the lucky few who have actually had lasting satisfaction?

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The Cuddling Conundrum

Happy Sunday (or whatever day of the week you are reading this on) to you, dear reader. I woke up this morning from dream in which it was Monday. I was incredibly excited as I am eager to hear if I got the job I interviewed for on Friday, which I will hopefully find out tomorrow (did that make sense?). Needless to say, I was disappointed it was Sunday and I chuckled; that was the first, and probably the last, time I wished it was the workweek.

Moving on, this blog post is dedicated to cuddling. Or spooning. Or laying there holding your significant other in a way that is not comfortable for either party while growing increasingly hot. Whatever you like to call it. I was thinking about this act the other day as I was laying on the couch holding my dog. What is it about cuddling that we enjoy so much? And why is it females prefer it so much more than males? To address the first question, I started thinking scientifically (maybe?) and going back to the time when we were all the same (sort of). Yes, back when we were fetuses nesting in our mother's womb. I thought, surely this is why we enjoy spooning so much. We are essentially in the fetal position, with the warmth of another person's body combined with the placement of their arms cocooning us.

But this answer only increased my curiosity to the second question - why do women like it so much more than men? I'm not saying guys don't enjoy holding that special someone in their arms, but let's be real. Guys can have one session of cuddling and be good for the month. Women (not all, grant you but a lot of us) want to cuddle every night before bed. A friend said it's because women want to be protected, that they want to feel safe but let me tell you, I feel pretty darn safe on my bed with the front door locked. And when I'm in a situation that threatens my safety, my immediate thought isn't going to be 'Quick! Hold me!' but exactly how I'm going to kick ass and take names.

I've thought long and hard (not really, that's a lie) about this and could not come up with an answer. Sure I could have googled it to see what scientists and researchers say about this (surely they want to know too) but that's no fun. What I do know is this: I like to cuddle less than the "typical woman" but more than the "typical man" and I like to cuddle because it's freezing in my apartment, I'm too cheap to turn the heat on and I want to steal your warmth. What I don't know is: why is it human nature to cuddle? Why do guys dislike cuddling so much?

Soon to be added to the "things I don't know list" with its own blog post, why do we enjoy kissing so much? It's just two people swapping spit, which, when you think about it, is really disgusting...

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