I've lived in Alaska for 20 years now and have noticed a strange social norm. I was oblivious to it prior to my divorce but since then it has been clear as glass. There is a popular saying up here; "You don't get married, you just wait your turn." I could never quite grasp the meaning of this until this summer.
Since I have been up here for quite some time now, and since I interact with the public often, I just happen to know alot of local people and their personal circumstances. I've heard stories of couples who are friends divorcing and marrying each other's ex-spouses and thought that was ridiculous! It sounded so far removed from reality that I would dismiss these stories as fiction with a skepical shake of my head.
It became a reality when a two couples that I am familiar with decided to play bedroom roulette this Spring.
Both couples had divorced and one man hooked up with the other's ex-wife while the other man hooked up with an old girlfriend of the first man! It can get very confusing if you cannot follow the sequence of events. It seems that alot of people in Alaska are "serial monogamists" just waiting for the next partner to fall into their circle of love/relationship addiction.
I certainly do not see the logic in this whatsoever! I am confused and befuddled to say the least. I guess the men in Alaska have come to expect this societal norm and seem okay with the status quo? Maybe they see women as so scarce that they will settle for whomever they can get for any length of time and be satisfied with that? Makes me wonder if I should follow suit with my seasoned sisters and enter the game of bedroom roulette. Sure beats being alone and lonely! My dilemma: Do I join so I can be with someone or do I stay in my ivory tower and watch from above; longing for what they have temporarily?
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