10. Joshua A

My husband is a hot headed red head. He has a fiery temper and staunch opinions. Well informed and witty, he is not one to argue with. You may not know this about him, however, because he is also extremely self controlled and discerning.

Tonight I had started, yet again late in the evening, my tenth blog in the "My Project" lineup. I was tired and anxious to get my inspired thoughts on virtual paper. When my husband leaned over my shoulder and commented that I might want to change the wording in my last typed sentence, I quietly deleted the whole section and closed the computer.

"I just won't write right now. I'll wait until you're not looking over my shoulder," I said coldly and with more than a hint of self-righteousness.

A bit stunned at my dramatic reaction, he backed up a little and apologized.

"I won't make another comment," he said carefully, "I won't even read what you're writing. Go ahead."

I refused.

It was in that moment that both of us realized just how irrational I was being. I decided to ignore this obvious fact and just cross my arms and continue watching TV, my back now stiffly reclined against his chest. Josh decided to relax, keep holding me, and try to enjoy the evening. In fact, at the end of the show he offered to get me my customary glass of ice water to take to bed, (this I also declined), and made a casual mention of the fact that he liked my new shirt.

Now, nearly forty five minutes after our little "issue" Josh is coolly relaxed, comfortable in bed, and so non-plussed as to be almost whistling happily while he piddles on his phone. I think this must be what it feels like to be the "bigger man". In fact, he just turned to me with a victorious smile to tell me that the Texas Rangers have just won their eleventh game in a row, something about the best record in the league...

This is what I love about my husband. Behind that passionate red hair and ferocious opinions on politics and how to play the game of golf, he is the Bigger Man. I hear about it with his co-workers, I watch it with his siblings, and I feel it constantly as his wife. At the end of every day he is my best friend. No matter what has passed between us or what we must deal with tomorrow, he is ever willing to be sincere in an apology and ready to move on to the next topic, the next chance, my next chance.

I might add that he was perfectly right. The wording I had chosen for Blog #10 was a little too strong, and wouldn't really have conveyed the point I was trying to make. He played an honest editor. Perhaps next time I'll tell him so.