Yes, I agree. I don't remember who said that, but one of my favorite quotes is:
“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances- if there is any reaction, both are transformed”
Yes! That would be a good idea, and that's the place to do it. But I guess I had the finish line in sight and it is a fragile thing. I didn't want to lose it due to an unplanned tributary. Because the trouble with tributaries is that they lead to other tributaries.