My Better Half

"My better half"...an expression used so many ways...with love, with sarcasm, when you don't know the couple's status (married, engaged, significant other, whatever) or even a saving grace when you can't remember the other person's name (ugh, hate when that happens).

My better half is...

My Rock.  Kevin keeps me stable; he's the one I rely on.  When I'm stressing out and going nuts, Kev will remind me to relax and not make my current mole hill into a mountain.  Typical scenario:  We are having people over and I'm panicking because this needs to be done or that isn't right or... Kevin will tell me it doesn't really matter or it doesn't have to be done. Unfortunately, I don't always listen. Inevitably, things turn out okay and Kevin was right. (Yes, Kevin, I'll say it again--You were right).

My Sense of Direction.  It's amazing how some people seem to just know which way to turn when they aren't really sure where they are.  Kevin is like that.  When we are out on the motorcycle, we like to ride the backroads and experience roads not yet seen.  In my head, I will try to guess which way Kevin will turn, and I'm usually wrong. While I'm totally turned around, Kevin has us back to familiar territory.  Just this fall I was headed across the state to a conference early one morning when I "felt" lost.  Although I had a map, my GPS and phone map weren't working, and I "felt" like I should have reached my next highway.  Who did I call? Kevin.  He was on his way to work but he pulled over and looked at a map himself to reassure me that I was still on track.  Sure enough, just a few minutes later I saw the highway sign I was looking for.

My Lighter Side. I admire Kevin's sense of humor.  His quick wit and one-liners remind me of my dad.  All too often I'm so focused on the task at hand. But Kevin gives me a quick laughter break from the seriousness. Don't get me wrong, he's not always funny.  At times I just roll my eyes and say, "Remind me when I'm supposed to laugh." Kevin uses that silly humor to communicate with kids.  His outlandish questions catch them off guard and barely give the poor little tikes time to come up with a response before he's zinging another one at them.  I'm usually chuckling and trying to get him to ease up at the same time.

My Mister Fix-It. When you've always had someone around who could fix things, you take it for granted.  Some people have to take their car to a mechanic when it has an issue.  Some people just go buy a new lawn mower when the current one is running a little rough.  Some people don't even own a toolbox. Some people don't assume their husband is going to take care of it when he gets home.  I'm not some people because I am lucky to have Kevin.

Best of all, my better half makes me a better person.