The Visit from AmeriGas

Today, AmeriGas came to my house.

It turns out the propane account was still in Mark’s name, and he called them to request they remove the tank. If they had, I would’ve been stuck paying nearly $900 to have a new one reinstalled.

Classic Mark.

No communication.
No consideration.
No awareness of how his actions affect the life I’m still living in the home he left behind.

Just more quiet sabotage disguised as “not my problem.”

A Kind Stranger

Thankfully, the man from AmeriGas was decent. Older, kind, emotionally intelligent.

He didn’t remove the tank.

He told me what happened, added a note to the account, and told me they’d contact me instead next time.

But what happened next?

That’s the part I want to remember.

32 Years of Showing Up

While I was talking to him, he casually told me about his wife. They’ve been married for 32 years, and they’re happy.

He said they have each other’s backs.

He told me they met while both engaged to other people—
but once they met each other, they just knew.

They got married three months later. And it’s lasted for three decades.

He didn’t brag, he didn’t perform. He just shared his story—steady, grounded, simple.

Wealth, Wisdom, and 400 Acres

And then he told me something else:

“I don’t need this job. I’m actually very wealthy. I just like staying active.

My wife and I live on 400 acres in Commerce, all paid off.”

That whole experience…

It hit me like a quiet emotional contrast between the life I’m leaving behind and the life I’m walking toward.

The Contrast

Mark tried to pull warmth away.
This man delivers it.

Mark acted without thinking.
This man communicated clearly and calmly.

Mark couldn’t show up for love.
This man has been showing up for 32 years.

I didn’t ask for that moment.
But the universe handed it to me anyway.

A Quiet Messenger

A reminder:

• Healthy love exists.
• There are men who show up.
• Who know who they are.
• Who commit, grow, support, and love well—without drama or delay.
• Men who don’t need to be chased or managed or emotionally mothered.
• Men who don’t pull tanks out of the ground to make a point.
• Men who bring warmth, not take it away.

My New Baseline

I didn’t just meet a propane guy.
I met a symbol.
A quiet messenger of what’s possible.

And I let it in.

Because that is my new baseline now.

Not charm.
Not potential.
Not passivity dressed as peace.

I want the man who brings warmth—
and knows how to keep it burning.

And nothing less.