the
jungle animal he chose was DINGO. Oh come ON. Dingoes don’t even live in jungles. They live in Australia
and are really partly domesticated dogs that tend to
eat babies. Of all the animals he could possibly name, he comes up with
DINGO. By now I am seeing cross-eyed with aggravation. But, he saved the
very worst one (or best, depending on your perspective) for last.
His choice for a bird was OSTRICH. Oh. My. Gosh. The ostrich is a large
flightless African bird that also, and in this case appropriately, defines a
person who refuses to face reality. He couldn’t come up with something
simple, like maybe OWL? No, he shoots for the moon of obscurity. Mr. Linear Thinker gives me APHID, DINGO, and OSTRICH.
Needless to say, he totally obliterated the “fun” of the exercise. It’s like
he took a giant highlighter and outlined the wide chasm of our differences.
I’m the one that’s supposed to come up with the crazy, nutbag answers.
I was sure he would name the ant, tiger, and robin – just like 99% of those
who took that video challenge before him. Including me. What the heck
happened?
I still don’t have a clue. But, there is one thing I do know pretty well. We
are as different as night and day and likely to remain so for the duration.
We stepped into marriage with our eyes wide open. Mostly. But in the last
12 months, we have seen lots of sickness all around us and in us. We each
had hospital stays of the emergency kind. I am attempting to rebound from
the resulting cognitive impairment and depression. He has retired from the
work he loved/hated after nearly 30 years and is venturing into uncharted
woodworking territory. I had cataracts removed while simultaneously attempting a new job, failing miserably. We are still learning to live together
(after solitary confinement) in a place that is new to me and old for him.
And, my mother died the day after Christmas. Yay, us!
I don’t share this to gain sympathy. It is what it is. It is life as we know
it. The perfect, predictable life (or partner) simply does not exist. But, the
perfect loving God does. And, He gives grace without limit. When we write
His Word on the “tablet of our hearts” (our deceitful and desperately wicked, unknowable hearts!), He gives abundantly and with surprising humor.
The man God gave me, the one who answers with APHID, DINGO, and
OSTRI CH, of all things; the one who refuses to eat link meat or let me get
away with bratty behavior; the one without a gall bladder that continues
to have an ongoing gas problem – that irritating, stubborn man loves me
better than I have ever been loved in my life. I hope to return the favor.
We just won’t be doing quizzes together anymore. Hope you enjoy a very
happy, healthy heart month!
SHEMAGAZINE.COM
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FEBRUARY 2016
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