The Luckiest

My husband and I have an ongoing 'argument' which goes something like this:

'I'm the luckiest..'

'No, I'm the luckiest...'

'Nope, I am...'

'Nope, -I- am!'

This happens a few times a week, and every time it does, I treasure it deeply. It is at once reassuring and supportive, honest yet respectful, giggle-making and downright serious. He means it, and I mean it. Doesn't matter who starts it.

We both mean it to each other, about each other, about life in general, about how lucky we are to have each other next to each other - cats included.

This doesn't have a lot to do with game design or Legends of Karinth, except for the fact that this phenomenal man has made it possible for me to pursue them both. He's given his full support to this effort, answers boatloads of questions about code and design with tireless patience, and has stepped in to help the rare code confusion with wisdom borne of many years of programming experience.

This phenomenal man has dealt with a host of shifting conditions never revealed in the simple vow preceding 'I do' and has stood by me in sickness and in health, with more sickness than health, for richer or poorer, with a lot more poorer than richer while we struggled to keep a small business afloat, for better, for worse, through incredible hardship and countless doctor trips involving great travel distances, and has done so with great good humor and amazing grace.

We're in our fifteenth year together, and it feels like fifteen weeks. We have our faults and vastly different tastes in music, sports, relaxing activities, food, television - but for each difference, a thousand similarities exist, and more evolve with each passing day. We walk side by side, next to each other, smiling at the differences and celebrating the similarities. He commands the remote for the TV, and I am queen of the remote for the VCR which records what I might wish to see while he watches Bond movies and Star Trek for the 3279th time.

It's called respect. He does not attempt to shape me into something I'm not. I do not attempt (nor wish) to change him into something he's not. I'd say we have found a great secret to success, but it really doesn't feel like a secret.. simply respect.

Besides, -I'm- the luckiest... *grin*