The Mama Kat prompt that I ended up with this week, thanks to the randomness of random.org is the best kind of writing prompt - one I have no clue how to address! It is number five: What is something you could stand to learn from your significant other?
It is important to understand one thing about my husband to understand the rest of this post. When I needed a date to the Huey Lewis and the News concert in 1987, after my original date backed out, my friend who offered to set us up warned me, "Wayne is an Abrupt Little Sh*t," and I said, "oh, that's okay, I need someone to go with [translation - I didn't want to get stuck with the cost of the ticket!]."
Things didn't look good when he showed up at my door, beer in hand. There was not going to be any old-fashioned chivalry here. After the concert date, we continued to spend time together. The friendship evolved into romance. Throughout our friendship, through the living together, my subsequent ending of the relationship and moving to New York, and our reunion/marriage, there has always been a huge contrast between Wayne's relative refusal to gladhand just for the sake of gladhanding, and my almost deferential approach to most social interactions. Between his (relative) bravado and my (relative) lack of confidence. Between his assumption that his opinion matters (and is right, of course!) and mine that my opinion may not be that important in the long run and is probably wrong.
What is something I could learn from my spouse? A little more bravado, a little less deference.
Lessons I may learn yet through "The Power of Love."
