A Panegyric

Meaning "a hymn of praise." It's a 10th grade vocab word this week, so I may as well put it to practical use!

Today is Election Day, which could elicit a post from me about the system, the candidates, the proposals, the junk mail and phone calls, and/or the idiocy of many people during an election season--particularly this one--on both sides of every issue. But I'd rather keep politics out of this blog, since it's so dang divisive, and besides, I have something better to write about.

Today is the thirteenth anniversary of Being With ComputerDaddy.

Thirteen years ago this afternoon I called up ComputerDaddy (who was then ComputerFriend) after an exciting football game in which Michigan State University beat the University of Michigan--for many, MSU's biggest game of the season, and for me that year, the first time I bothered really watching (or caring) about some stupid football game. I was too excited by the result to return to the literature essay I had been writing until the cheers from the nearby stadium prompted me to turn on the TV, and I knew he had been at the game. I caught him just after he walked in his dorm room, and we chattered exuberantly about the game for some time. Finally I asked him if he wanted to go get a coffee or something, since I didn't feel like writing any more, and he agreed. (Later, I discovered he was supposed to attend a post-game party, but his friends swiftly released him from his plans upon hearing that he was ditching them for a Girl.)

We talked for ages over coffee about this and that, learning more about each other than we had in previous conversations. I knew him mostly because I was friends with his roommates, so we hadn't gotten to know each other very well before. And as I talked with him and listened to him and gazed into those oh-so-expressive brown eyes of his, something shifted. He says my eyes started getting "all googly" and I started smiling at him in a certain way, and he knew that all it would take was a few words from him and I would be His.

And so I was.

Thirteen years later, a great deal has passed between us. There have been good and bad times, as with any relationship, and there have been times when we didn't know if we were going to Make It. But in the end, it has always been worth it to be His.

I'm going to cheat a little and not actually write a hymn. And I'm going to blame my sinuses, since my creative juices are running a bit low. But I will list just a few of the many reasons why I love my man.

1. I love his eyes. His were the first I ever really noticed, even before we started dating, and even now they catch me. I especially love the way his eyes shift color with his emotions, conveying so much more than words can say alone.

2. I love his sense of humor. It's often subtle and rarely shown except to those with whom he is comfortable, but that means I get to see it most of all. Sometimes he's downright wacky, and other times he sneaks in a dry little comment that takes a while for my brain to register. I aspire to be as funny as he is capable of being, though I know I fall far short.

3. I love his honesty. He doesn't always open up as much as I'd like, especially when he's very busy and focused, but he's unfailingly honest and forthright. This, of course, is not always comfortable or even comforting, but it is a great virtue and is, again, what I aspire to be.

4. I love his geekiness. By this I do not mean "nerdiness"--he has never been that--but I mean I love all the things that make him a Geek. His brilliance with computers, his love for fantasy and science fiction, his love of all sorts of non-conventional games, his "toys": the list goes on. I love many geeks (family and friends alike are full of such people), and he is my own personal one.

5. I love his mind. He challenges me to stretch my own mind and look beyond my comfort zone, to even consider possibilities that may frighten me. It is too easy for me to grow comfortable in a mental rut, and he has helped me grow immeasurably because he would not let me stay there.

That's just a short list. And I won't go too deeply into just what it does to me when I see him in certain outfits that emphasis certain body parts, because that would be TMI, but rest assured that I think he's a hotty too. Those black carpenter jeans and the shirt he wore on Halloween--let's just say that it wasn't just the kids in their adorable costumes that I was admiring!

So Happy Anniversary, honey. May there be many, many more.

And Happy Election Day to the rest of you!