Friends with Benefits

There's an old joke about the hooker who plies her wares upon an unsuspecting dude: "I will rock your world. We can screw, I can give you a blow job, we can do it from behind, anything you want."
"Anything I want, huh?" he asks.
"Yep, anything you could possibly wish for." she coos.
He thinks for a minute, then leans in and whispers in her ear: "Paint. My. House."

I laughed really loud when I heard this joke, which didn't go over well with the other church-goers at my great aunt's funeral. It just seemed like my perfect translation of "friends with benefits", although the rest of the western hemisphere has a different take. Which brings me to my next point. Some believe (and have written books on the topic) that hooking up and casual sex, the staple of many a college and off-campus housing, is harmful to young women. Because, instead of getting their houses painted, they're getting wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am and missing out on the pleasures of courtship and meaningful relationships. My opinion? I'd love to have my house painted. I also believe it's a choice, just like everything else in this here land of freedom. I think of what mamma said: "Just 'cuz everyone else is jumping off a bridge...don't mean you can't stand on the ledge and enjoy the view." If you want a relationship, then go find one, and don't settle for less. If you want to hook up, no strings attached, I'm sure many would happily oblige. Readers?