11/17/98: Today we got into a big argument with each other… It’s always stupid little things that we wind up emotional about, but it’s not ever really about those little things either… I still think more about my own wants or needs than anyone else’s, including Ruth… But I don’t belong to myself, I gave myself to her… Lord, have mercy!… Considering that we are 238 days on the road together, I’m surprised it hasn’t happened more frequently on this trip… It would be easy to imagine never fighting, but I suspect a conflict-free relationship is impossible… It is not easy for two to become one… In any case, making up and getting through the tangles makes our marriage stronger…
NOTE: The photo above shows Ruth and I on the beach of Kantiang Bay, Koh Lanta, the evening after a big storm had passed.