Équipe Knowèr
On our recent trip to Greece and Paris, Zach and I had the exceedingly rare opportunity to spend two and a half weeks of uninterrupted quality time together. That luxury gave me the chance to really reflect on, and really appreciate, our relationship.
Two and a half weeks of bliss can't make up for two and a half years of hell, but it can give you a little insight.
And here's the flash I had:
One reason—maybe the reason—that we've come through these trials is that we have always taken a team approach to our marriage. In any given situation, we do whatever is best for the team—our team.
Teamwork is not a novel concept, of course—just visit any locker room at halftime for an entire pep talk on the subject—but thinking about it in such explicit terms helped me to articulate, to myself at least, something that I haven't always been able to explain.
Zach and I have sometimes made choices that seem to mystify other people. Often these choices involve spending stretches of time apart, in different cities or even on different coasts. And those stretches are typically tough for both of us—we'd much rather be in the same place, and certainly in the same time zone—but they always have a purpose.
Looking back, I don't think either of us would undo any of the long-distance interludes in our relationship. They have caused each of us to grow as individuals and have strengthened our bond as a team. They have forced us to adapt, to find ways of being together when we're not together. And they have given us reason to appreciate every day we do get to share the same meal and sleep in the same bed.
I had this insight about our relationship at the end of our trip, when we were in Paris. So when we coined the term that neatly encapsulates our philosophy, of course we did it in French: Équipe Knowèr. (Before you ask, we have no idea how to say "Team Knower" in Greek.)
Now, whenever we have some kind of triumph, we cheer "Équipe Knowèr!" in our best French accents. (We haven't done this in public yet, but I imagine the time will come soon enough.)
The tricky part is that unless we're careful, "Knowèr" can sound a bit like "Nowhere"—which is sometimes more accurate but certainly not what we had in mind.
Our latest Équipe Knowèr undertaking began yesterday, when Zach headed out to L.A. for what Southern folks would call "a spell." We've had this in the works for a while but only made the final decision a few days ago, when we were able to sort out the last of the many details.
We spent so long in pre-launch mode that it feels a little strange to finally have moved on to the next phase, but here we are.
And the first thing I'm going to do is put another Post-it® on the wall.
Two and a half weeks of bliss can't make up for two and a half years of hell, but it can give you a little insight.
And here's the flash I had:
One reason—maybe the reason—that we've come through these trials is that we have always taken a team approach to our marriage. In any given situation, we do whatever is best for the team—our team.
Teamwork is not a novel concept, of course—just visit any locker room at halftime for an entire pep talk on the subject—but thinking about it in such explicit terms helped me to articulate, to myself at least, something that I haven't always been able to explain.
Zach and I have sometimes made choices that seem to mystify other people. Often these choices involve spending stretches of time apart, in different cities or even on different coasts. And those stretches are typically tough for both of us—we'd much rather be in the same place, and certainly in the same time zone—but they always have a purpose.
Looking back, I don't think either of us would undo any of the long-distance interludes in our relationship. They have caused each of us to grow as individuals and have strengthened our bond as a team. They have forced us to adapt, to find ways of being together when we're not together. And they have given us reason to appreciate every day we do get to share the same meal and sleep in the same bed.
I had this insight about our relationship at the end of our trip, when we were in Paris. So when we coined the term that neatly encapsulates our philosophy, of course we did it in French: Équipe Knowèr. (Before you ask, we have no idea how to say "Team Knower" in Greek.)
Now, whenever we have some kind of triumph, we cheer "Équipe Knowèr!" in our best French accents. (We haven't done this in public yet, but I imagine the time will come soon enough.)
The tricky part is that unless we're careful, "Knowèr" can sound a bit like "Nowhere"—which is sometimes more accurate but certainly not what we had in mind.
Our latest Équipe Knowèr undertaking began yesterday, when Zach headed out to L.A. for what Southern folks would call "a spell." We've had this in the works for a while but only made the final decision a few days ago, when we were able to sort out the last of the many details.
We spent so long in pre-launch mode that it feels a little strange to finally have moved on to the next phase, but here we are.
And the first thing I'm going to do is put another Post-it® on the wall.
posted by Jody Rosen Knower at 1:18 PM
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