Like so many other people, I am an individual who is constantly startled to find a gigantic bruise or blood-gushing cut on my body and having no idea how it got there. I’m clumsy. I run into walls, I drop things on my feet all the time, I am always burning myself on hot things in the kitchen. That kind of stuff happens.

A few weeks ago I burned my finger rather badly on a hot pot in my kitchen. The thing pussed and bubbled and I swear I heard it sizzle when it hit the pan. It was gross and painful took quite a while to finally smooth out. It was really noticeable and people kept asking me, “WTF did you do to your finger?”

I took a picture of it and posted it on Facebook and one of my friends casually made a joke that Jessie had done it to me. It was funny because Jessie would NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS hurt me physically like that. And that whole conversation had me remember something that happened when Jessie and I were still in college.

I was working at the library. It was summer. Jessie and I were living together. One night we were playing around and he playfully nommed all up and down my arm, not realizing he was doing it a little too hard. I moaned about it for a minute and then forgot about it. When I went to work the next day, I took off my over-shirt because the part of the library I worked in had no air conditioning and my boss had no problem with my wearing a tank top while doing my work. She came over to my desk to ask me a question and scared me by yelling, “Oh my God! What happened to your arm?”

Confused, I looked down to discover that the entire back part of my arm was covered in several large black bruises. I, of course, burst out laughing and explained that my boyfriend and I had been playing around the night before and he accidentally got a little too rough.

Her eyes narrowed as she stared me down.

“You don’t have to make excuses for him, you know.”

“WHAAAAAAAT?????” My mind shrieked.

She walked away then and never brought it up again but as I sat there completely confused I started giggling.  She thought Jessie had physically hurt me on purpose??  It was hilarious to me.  I had to leave my desk and run outside and call Jessie to inform him of what just happened.  He didn’t find it as funny as I did.  He was horrified and very upset that he had bruised me so badly (that’s the kind of guy he is).

I still find it funny.  I made DAMN SURE to marry someone who would never ever use his size to overpower myself or my children.  There’s a good reason for this.  That good reason is why I can laugh about things like that now.  That laugh is a sign of a well-healed scar…much like the one on my finger from that terrible burn.

A lead-in is not necessary for this.  Just enjoy.

Untitled from Somer Canon on Vimeo.

I tweeted last night that someone must have peed in Jessie’s Cheerios because he was just in a TERRIBLE mood last night.  Well whoever did it, please contact me so I can throw a dirty diaper in your face.  Last night was a bad night.

But….

I’ve been with the guy long enough to know how it goes.  Sometimes loving him is very easy.  Effortless, actually.  Sometimes I really have to sit and remind myself that I love him.  That’s how long-term committed relationships work, you know.  They get on your last nerve.  You get on their last nerve.  You hide from each other so you don’t have to finish the fight that’s been brewing all day.  You go to bed together and laugh together at the audible baby farts coming in through the baby monitor.  Things are suddenly better.

I don’t write a lot of praise about Jessie because 1) I hate when people are constantly overly gushy about their spouses (and Jessie hates it too, this kind of stuff embarrasses him) and 2) there’s always some smart ass friend right there to make puking comments.  I try to tell Jessie to his face that I love him and I’m thankful for him, but I think he deserves to have the world know too.

He’s a big fan of purple, which always makes me laugh.

He works very hard for our family.  He’s got  great work ethic and does it all for us.

After a long day of work and commuting, he comes home and gives Lukas a bath after dinner and gets him ready for bed.

He really genuinely loves his sons.

He doesn’t complain when I send him to the grocery store two times in one day because I keep forgetting things.

He doesn’t treat me like a servant because I am a stay-at-home mom and a housewife.  He doesn’t expect the house to always be spotless or the laundry to always be folded or that I prepare a gourmet 4-course dinner for him every night.

He’s always happy to see us when he gets home.

Sometimes on the weekend he goes out and brings home breakfast and lets me sleep in.

If I have had a bad day or am tired or sick, he’s more than happy to bring home dinner.

He’s fun.  He doesn’t make us a dry or overly serious couple.  We’re always joking and teasing each other.

I got the idea to do a post like this because of this article.  I found it touching.  I won’t be changing my ways of playfully poking fun at Jessie or talking about resolved problems from our past, but I guess I owe him a nice one even though I’m fairly certain he’ll never read this.  Oh well, it’s here for the rest of the world to see if they should be so inclined.