REPOSTED BLOG: √2

You might recall that there is no final answer to the square root of two. Even when you try to get an answer, you run up against an unpredictable series going on indefinitely. Although you can get close to a definitive, final answer, you can never reach it.

The square root of two is an analog for relationships. You can figure and refigure, check and recheck your answers, but the very next answer is an unpredictable one. Just when your savings seem to be growing, a recession sets you back. Just when you think you have mastered the intricacies of a game, you hit a slump or twist an ankle. And just when you think you have a person figured out, she or he does something surprising. The square root of two is always there, waiting to surprise you.

Find some joy in unpredictability. You’re human, not a machine. So, when an unexpected number occurs in the sequence, as it most surely will, add it to the series of your life and solve for the next number. The square root of two is an irrational number, meaning that you can’t put it into an exact fraction (99/70 is close, but it doesn’t win a cigar), and such irrationality mimics life and, in particular, relationships.

When the next “unexpected” event crosses your “expectations,” don’t fret; just smile and think, “Hey, it’s the square root of two.”