Right after my first hospital stay last year, I purchased a scale. After seeing my weight fluctuate from a forty-pound gain to a forty-pound loss in six days, I was understandably concerned about such things. It is a no-frills lump of metal and plastic that mainly collects dust, but we convene from time to time. I suppose over the last several months of infrequent visits, we've grown fonder of one another.

I don't find myself challenging the scale ("You're WRONG! WRONG, I SAY!"), and in return it keeps the wisecracks to a minimum. But lately!—lately, I step on the scale and all it says is "Lo". Sure, I could step off and step back on to get a numerical reading, but I'm satisfied with the first answer, so why bother? I find this a very pleasant scale indeed, and hope we have a very long life together ahead of us.