Ode to a Good Man

It has long been mysterious to many people, the relationship between Ron and I. I get it, I really do. I was a tender 20 years old when we met and he was divorced with three young children. At first, I think it was just a lark for both of us. I thought he was cute and he was playing the field, so why not?

Still cute after a quarter century!

We couldn't have foreseen the future ahead of us or we both would probably have run screaming, but that's why life and love work the way they do. 26 years later and here we are, traveling around South America and still happily together. He takes care of so much. I'd like to say that ours is a marriage of equals, but every now and then I realize how much he gives. I make an effort to be appreciative for every morning coffee that he hands me, the garbage that magically disappears on a regular schedule, the clean laundry that shows up in my drawer and the cups of tea to help with any lingering inflammation in my damaged muscle and tendon.This is on top of his intrepid entry into the kitchen to clean up after hurricane Danica has blown through to make a meal. (My motto: messy chefs are the best chefs!)

Helping with the foundation of a house
for a local family

The last several months have been hard. Nothing is normal. Pain has a way of seeping into the cracks of everything and makes every day challenging. My injury has interrupted our daily lives in a way that we've never experienced before and it has tried our relationship; and yet here we are. Much (okay, really all) of that is thanks to Ron. I know how hard it is for him to see me in pain and suffering. I'm sure he feels as helpless as I do, because neither of us can do much but wait for me to heal. Through it all, he's been a champ. He carried the load of the household chores when I couldn't do anything but lay on the sofa and cry. He ran to get pain medication, ice packs, heat packs - really, whatever I needed in the moment. He's Florence Nightingale in black.

Embracing "Trekiness"

As I poured my own second cup of coffee this morning (a rarity), I realized how amazing he really is (a truly rare creature); how much I love him and how he's affected me. He expanded my horizons in so many ways and he has always accepted me exactly as I am. That's powerful. So, I just wanted to take a moment and say thank you to him. I wanted to tell him that I love him so much that words fail me (also a rarity). From all accounts, it's hard to find a good man, so I'll count my blessings. That is my ode to a good man.