In the olden days, I didn’t need books to find answers to my questions. I could avoid the library. And research? Be serious. Not me. Nope, I could tap the fountain of knowledge. At any time of the day or night. Easily. Most of the time I just had to roll over or maybe, during business hours, pick up the phone.
My ability to get all the answers became widely known amongst my circle of friends. And so whenever I or any of my friends needed to know a bit of history, a philosophical principle, how to do a math problem, they’d come to me. They knew I could solve the mystery. Sort of.
“Elyse,” they’d say, “would you ask John …”
And no matter what the question, John always knew the answer. Always.
But then came personal computers and search engines. I think John was hurt by the fact that I no longer called him for all the answers.
In the intervening years, somehow I forgot. Or maybe I’d gotten used to being married to such a smart guy. Or maybe I was just used to having easy access to all of life’s mysteries at my fingertips.
Not long ago, though, I was thrown back into the early days of my marriage. Yup, I was reminded just how much stuff is packed into my husband’s brain. It was almost as good as reliving that very first kiss. (But not quite.)
You see, he and I were driving through Pennsylvania a few weeks ago. We passed farm fields ripe with corn, a plant I knew by sight from my days of stealing it from farm fields in my home town. There were also fields of other plants right next to the corn, but I didn’t recognize them. Apparently, I had never stolen those plants. Obviously they don’t taste good with butter.
“I wonder what that is growing in those fields,” I casually asked John.
“They’re soybeans,” he replied without missing a beat. “They need the same soil and conditions as corn, so they are often planted near each other.”
I looked at my husband and remembered how, when we were first married, I could always count on him to know whatever I didn’t know. He still does! Even after all this time slummin’ with me!
I smiled at him. “You know, it’s just like being married to Google.”
John has filled in many of the blanks in my life. He’s been doing that now for 27 years (on the 20th).
September 10th is John’s birthday. Happy birthday to the smartest guy I know.
For my long-time bloggin’ buddies, you’ll know that John and I have very different musical tastes. But this is a song we both love, and a version we both think is one of the best.
With it, I toast the very best husband I’ve ever had. Of course he knows that he’s the best husband I’ve ever had. After all, he knows everything.
FiftyFourandAHalf 