The Other Side of Me

So, this is my husband.

He's been in my life since I was thirteen. That was a long time ago. I've now been with Seth longer than I lived without him. For over half my life, my heart has been his.

Not that it's always been an easy road. Highschool brought some tough times. Big fights. Other girls. Jealousy. Flirting. Three paged single spaced notes (front and back, of course).

I still like to write, but thankfully I've advanced to more creative things than those letters.

Marriage hasn't been a cake walk either, but not because we fight or anything. We actually almost never fight. And our "fights" usually consist of me rolling my eyes and him giving the silent treatment for five minutes. I don't know how we've escaped arguing. Don't all couples argue on occasion? I guess I'm too lazy to find interest in maintaining an argument, and he's too much of a people pleaser to let me be mad at him. For whatever reason, we have a pretty peaceful marriage. Whatever rocks us usually comes from the outside. Not always, but usually. And I'm glad for that. We are allies.

It's also kind of weird that we like so much of the same things. Musical arts, for instance. And well written sci-fi. And going to the mall (insert Canadian mid nineties pop song here). I like that too though. I like that I can crack a joke to him that no one else would get and he'll appreciate it. I like that he gets excited about seeing broadway shows with me. I like that I will never know what it's like to have to drag my man to a musical or force him to dress up for the occasion. Yes, Seth likes looking good. He likes wearing suits and current male fashion. He thinks he should be embarrassed by this, but I have no complaints. I'm aware of the plight of some women who have to deal with their husbands wearing socks with sandals or making a huge fuss about shopping for new clothes. My heart goes out to them.

He frequently asks me what on earth I see in him. Now, I know him well enough to know that part of him is fishing for compliments. And part of him really does think he's nothing much. It's a fine line I have to walk between stroking his ego and reminding him that his worth is found in God, not things like musical ability or fashion sense. And my loving him does not make him worth anymore. Before he met me he was already worth enough for Christ to die for him.

He's quite a paradox. Quite a case study. He's an introverted extrovert. A humble narcissist. He's both hilarious and corny. Both confident and timid. Equal parts social butterfly and socially awkward. A sloppy perfectionist. A sensitive hardshell. A rebellious rule-follower.

Maybe that's why I love him. He's so hard to pin down.

If there's one thing he is it's interesting. My life has not suffered from a lack of amusement in the last fifteen years. One day, it's like a bad soap opera and the next it's a cheerful musical. Granted, he's toned down a bit with age and regulated blood sugar, but he's still complex enough to keep me on my toes.

We've faced a lot of crap in these past fifteen years. More than I can share on a blog. We've had to deal with things I never ever ever would have imagined lay in our path. Things that surely would have destroyed us if we didn't serve a good and loving God.

But here we are, together.

And in love.

And that alone is evidence enough for me that God has been weaving together our story. We've never faced the storm alone.

I love you, Seth.

Now go suit up and let's hit the town.