“Do you think marriage feels any different?” I was recently asked this question by a newly married friend. She assured me that, for her, marriage was the same as pre-marital cohabitation, and I nodded my head in agreement: “Sure,” I said. “Marriage isn’t all that different.” But I wasn’t telling the truth. For me, marriage feels very different, but in a way that’s hard to define in polite conversation.     I was raised by a single mother for the first ten years of my life. My mom did it all, and she did it well: she was playmate, teacher, protector and cheerleader all rolled into one. Marriage didn’t factor into my experience: the concept was uncomfortable, irrelevant at best. I didn’t dream of…