When Significant Others…

Fill in the blank.

What do you do when your significant other isn’t feeling 100%? I’m sure many of you have experienced this in some form or another over the last year and a half. The year that wasn’t (you know, 2020) almost broke me in so many ways. It was a rough, tough year. We made the call, early in the pandemic, to stay home and isolate from others. This is really tough when all of your kids live within 30 minutes of you. Thank goodness for FaceTime! We had a few drive by parties, garage parties (we have a three car garage), and lots and lots of emailing and texting. For months, I only saw my kids virtually. I never considered myself a hugger until I learned that’s exactly who I am. I hug…not those half-hearted side hugs either. I’m talking full on, squeeze until your back pops hugs! And, the only person I had to hug was the guy I’ve been hugging since 1973! I’ll do the math for you. I was 15 when we started dating!

And, as tough as these last eighteen months plus have been, they have almost been a walk in the park compared to the last demi-decade. In 2015, we moved to be closer to our kids. We had planned to downsize, but ended up with a bigger house! One of the things my husband liked about this house was the three car garage. It’s huge, though he’s managed to fill it up. The ceilings are quite high, more than 10 feet I’m guessing. He quickly found someone to finish it and do the ceilings. All he had to do was paint it. Remember, those ceilings are high, really high. And, when you fall off a ladder, you fall a long way. You might just dislocate your shoulder. You might just get a bump or two. You might just break your arm. Guess which one happened? Yep, the husband broke his arm right below the ball of the ball and socket joint. He has had several surgeries over the years and has quite the scars to show for them. I always tell him he really needs to come up with a story better than falling off a ladder! To make it even worse, he broke his right arm.

My husband is a wonder with building all kinds of things. I show him something on Pinterest; he builds it. I just supervise, but I do that well! So, when he broke his right arm, he put a tiny chip in his shiny armor. He broke his arm in June, had two surgeries that month and a third in October. During that first year, however, we put up some really cool (I’m showing my age with that word, right?) wainscoting or trim or whatever you want to call it in the front hall and the upstairs hall. I did learn how to use a power driver though because curtain rods do not hang themselves! And, then, I began to sense something had changed within him.

Life goes on.

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Over the years, he stopped doing things he’d always enjoyed. One of the things he loved almost as much as me was his Harley Davidson. This is his actual bike! https://bikez.com/motorcycles/harley-davidson_ultra_classic_electra_glide_1998.php He sold it because he didn’t feel it was a good idea to have such a large bike anymore. I should have fought that decision because the motorcycle bug is a dangerous one! In hindsight, we should have just added a sidecar or made it into a trike. But, sell it he did. I gave him a year before he bought another. I was almost right. We did visit some motorcycle shops and perched on a couple. For my money, an Indian is the most beautiful motorcycle you could buy. He didn’t agree! We were at Menards (a big box home improvement store around here) one night, and he saw this strange bike with a sidecar. He was all gaga over it, looking at it from all sides. Eventually, the owner appeared and told him all about the motorcycle. Man leaves; we go home; story ends. But, not quite. Remember, I said that motorcycle bug is tough. Well, my husband had been researching these motorcycles, found one, and off we went to see it. Long story sorta short…within that week, my husband bought one of these noisy (not Harley noisy, creaky, cranky noisy) motorcycles. In fact, here’s a video of the exact one he bought…the bronze one! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Q0wzGRsWY

Happy Ending!/?

You’d think the story ends here, right? It doesn’t. In the next couple of years, my husband managed to break both of his ankles on two separate occasions. I learned I had made the right choice years ago. I am not cut out to be a nurse! My teacher voice rang out quite often! He’s faced a couple of health challenges over the last five or six years, too. And, that brings me to the point of this post. We cannot change our significant others and the challenges they face. They must face them, weather them, or give into them. We CAN stand beside them, help them make decisions, do things to make them feel better, use our teacher voices, and sometimes, just say it. “Put on your big boy pants, and just do it!” Is my husband still changed? Yes, he is. But, he is, above everything else, the person who loves me most in the entire world. He can read my mood (sorta) and understands a good dress can improve a mood! Seriously, this past weekend, we went to a mall. I was really just browsing because I don’t need anything. I seriously do not need a thing. When I walked back to him empty handed, he was surprised. He then insisted I go buy something. Who am I to say no?

Spoiled Rotten?

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Spoiled rotten?I am the first to admit I have too many clothes. I have clothes for almost any occasion (I don’t have serious glamour type things). I am, however, a shopper. And, I am spoiled rotten by this man who may have a chip or two in his shiny armor. I am so very lucky, and I know it.

Before I go, please take a gander at my accessories above. My J Jill necklace is from last year or the year before. My bracelet comes from the cutest little boutique in Charleston, The Tiny Tassel! The bracelet I linked to is not the same mine; it’s just a different color. Please take a bit and read Mimi’s story. She is adorable and is having a wonderful time building her business. I think I need some earrings, don’t you? You probably need something from The Tiny Tassel, too!

Wrap it up, Marsha!

How do you handle changes for the better or worse with your significant other? Has your SO had a serious complication in his/her/their life? Please, let me know how you take care of your people in the comments below. I’d love to have a conversation. I promise to respond! And, if you enjoy my blog, please feel free to subscribe and share with your friends. If you don’t like it, feel free to share with your enemies…just kidding!

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