Keepin It Real

Truth be told, I've been putting around on cloud 9 since yesterday! I'll tell you what, I expected all these comments, but I wasn't expecting all the sweet compliments {even if they were just to get the gift card!} And in case you didn't catch on, it's not even close to my birthday, but this feels like the best birthday ever. Which is why I'm almost considering printing all these comments out and putting them next to my real best birthday present ever- the book all my girlfriends made for me for my 30th birthday, filled with pages of why they love me. Yes, THAT... is how special I'm feeling. And truth be told, I'm used to having to work a lot harder for compliments.

I'm kinda quiet about my running/training to most people.... My husband doesn't fall into the category of "most people". Look, I need someone to think I'm awesome and praise my accomplishments as if they're the impossible and keep my ego afloat despite my kids tireless attempts to pop it. So anyways, my last long run coincidentally {?} ended at Yosh's office. I took the stairs up to the third floor two at a time, bouncing on adrenaline. But I'll tell you what the second I walked through the office door--- some cripple took over my body and I looked like a broken bird limping over to his work station. As soon as I reached his desk, I dramatically grabbed onto the corner for support as if one more solo step would have left me on the floor. Face-planted. In a very airy, labored effort I was all, "Can I have your car keys? I need your car keys." Yosh looked up at me- perhaps a bit shocked to see me there- and handed over his car keys. Are you kidding me...that's all?  "Ok, I need some Tylenol. Can you get me some Tylenol?" Finally he was all, "Are you okay?" "Yea yea, everything's ok. I just got done with my long run for the week. It was a real long run.............." No probing. He could end the conversation AS SOON AS....he asked the magic question: HOW FAR? He was killin me. Was he really not gonna ask how far I ran?  That's all I needed to come out of his mouth and he would've been off the hook. Short and sweet. One and done.  Instead, I surrendered and offered up the answer I was fishing to give.  "Yea, I just ran 12 1/2 miles. I wasn't planning on that far but.... I did it. That's awesome huh?" "Yep, good job, babe."

Now don't you be at all concerned that that was his only reaction. Since he didn't ask the question, and the reaction wasn't everything I was looking for....... I just made sure we had the same, exact conversation 10 more times throughout the day. We can do it the easy way or the hard way.  Some would argue that husbands need to become more aware/observant/detail-oriented. And I used to be campaigning that movement. Oh yes, I was gonna train my husband and change him into a.....female version of himself. And all I can say is-- I'm glad that effort failed. I've learned I DO NOT WANT MY HUSBAND BEING MORE OBSERVANT. I hear Yosh bragging to his friends/co-workers about how I cook dinner every night and what a good cook I am.  If he were the observant husband I used to pray for, he would surely notice my bulging eyes and shocked body language every time he shared these gems, confused as to who the heck he's talking about.  And if he caught onto that, surely a long time ago he would've caught on to the fact that I DON'T COOK DINNER. If anyone does...it's Trader Joe's. But since he obviously has the 2-kid-ago version of me ingrained in his mind, he probably also thinks  I still make the bed every day, and take the kids to the park, and write him love emails once a week. There's not a chance in heck I'm putting all of those kind, untrue characteristics at stake.....just to get him to notice I ran 12 1/2 miles. Huh uh. Not worth it at all. I'll just torture him with repetitive convos and completely avoid the mention of him being more observant. He can live in his fantasy world. And I'll live in mine- where every few days, after I step on my broken scale, I get off, give a good fist pump knowing- come hell or high waters- I'm 130 lbs, a good wife who cooks a good meal every night, my bed is made, the kids are happy, and my husband is dreamily reading a hot love letter.

See ya'll, I really appreciate sweet, REAL compliments....so thank you!

**You can still enter the giveback here**

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