Once upon a time, in the heart of the nation’s capital, lived a bear and a dolphin, unbeknownst to each other and mostly, if not entirely, happy. The bear liked salmon berries, lightly fried fish, and making everyone laugh. The dolphin liked hanging out with her pod, swimming to faraway places, and brunch. One day, their mutual friend, a fox, invited them both to a group dinner. The bear had just emerged from hibernation and was quite hungry, so accepted the invitation immediately. The dolphin briefly considered her schedule and how much she loved meeting new friends, and promptly accepted. Across the table from each other at dinner, the bear and the dolphin greeted each other over a berry martinis. “Nice to meet you,” said the dolphin. “The paw-sure is all mine,” said the bear. The dolphin laughed so hard that water started coming out of her blowhole. “What a cute bear,” thought the dolphin. “What a cute dolphin,” thought the bear. “I should find out if he has a girlfriend,” thought the dolphin. “Too bad I have a girlfriend,” thought the bear. Time went on without the bear and the dolphin crossing paths again. Summer turned to fall and the bear went into another hibernation season, emerging to find his girlfriend, an owl, had flown off with a lynx. Meanwhile, the dolphin had made plans to go on a long trip to Brazil. One day, the bear and the dolphin happened to find themselves at the same party. The recently single bear seized his chance and asked the dolphin to go dancing. “I love dancing,” thought the dolphin, and accepted. They had a great time. “I like him,” thought the dolphin. “Too bad I’m going to Brazil, and this can’t work.” The bear, meanwhile, was smitten, and a few days later, invited the dolphin to get fish tacos. They got tacos and laughed the whole time. “I like him a lot,” thought the dolphin. “Too bad I’m going to Brazil, and this can’t work.” The bear, on the other hand, had only grown more enamored, and shortly after, invited the dolphin to a fancy dinner, where they feasted on tuna crudo and grilled oysters. “I really like him,” thought the dolphin. “I’m going to Brazil,” she blurted. “This can’t work.” The bear grew quiet. The dolphin felt a pang of sadness, but was convinced that what she had done made sense. A few months later, the dolphin swam out for Brazil. She thought of the bear on occasion, like when someone would eat berries or make a joke, but reminded herself of her logic and refocused on her caipirinhas. Meanwhile, the bear thought often of the dolphin and her smooth dance moves. He knew that she had not gone out of his life for good - at least, not if he could help it. Time passed and another winter approached. The dolphin made a trip to DC from Brazil for the holidays, and, through the help of some conspicuously disappearing friends, found herself alone at dinner with the bear. The bear was nervous and tried to mask it with more jokes than usual. “What do you call the weather when bears are falling from the sky? Grizzling!” The dolphin laughed politely and cleared her throat. “Let’s talk. Let’s tell each other one thing the other person doesn’t know about you. I’ll go first.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t know how to balance my love for adventure with my desire to be home with a community, and if I come back I’m worried you’ll find me boring.” “Ah, but I love both boars and rings,” said the bear. “I may seem funny, but on the inside, I struggle with how people expect me to be both ferocious AND cuddly.” The dolphin blushed in relief and admiration. “I know that I’m going back to Brazil,” the dolphin said, “but I’d really like to give this a try.” “Yes!! Yee-claw!!” whooped the bear. And so they did. The dolphin went back to Brazil for a few months, and when she got back, she and the bear gave it a go, including continuing to conduct periodic structured relationship exercises. Five years later, they’re still at it.