(This post was written on August 26, 2011, and last reviewed by the author on October 5, 2011.)
Steve Jobs' resignation from Apple gave me a pang in the heart. I fear his last days are close at hand and I hope I'm wrong. I've been an avid (rabid?) Mac user since the very first laptop (Powerbook 100) with its signature start-up smiling face, mostly because Jobs knew exactly how to put the interpersonal experience into the personal computer.
It's refreshing that Steve keeps his 20-year marriage to Laurene Powell Jobs very private, but I became curious about the couple today, wondering if these two incredibly accomplished people apply the same value to their relationship that Jobs once said he applies to his business in a 60 Minutes interview:
"My model for business is The Beatles: They were four guys that kept each other's negative tendencies in check; they balanced each other. And the total was greater than the sum of the parts."
Sounds like a good model for a love relationship to me. When I searched for a photo of the couple together, the one above came up also gave me a pang in the heart. The photographer is Lea Suzuki, for The San Francisco Chronicle, and she captured a moment that I think is a universal sign of utter tenderness, love, and empathy.
That same tete-a-tete touch captivated me when I saw the photo of the Obamas in an elevator that was posted on Flickr's White House Photostream.
When I first met my husband and saw him touch foreheads with his 4-year-old son in exactly that way, I think it might be the moment I knew I was in love. This post is dedicated to everyone, everywhere who is dealing with the failing health of a loved one.
May you find strength, comfort, and peace in that most intimate touch.
