Who's that girl...

England 1973

...running around with you?

Whoever said, Behind every great man is a great woman surely must have had clear vision.

Many times growing up I had the little nudges of encouragement from my parents with snippets like - eat your vegetables, clean your room and put that down or you'll go blind.  Um, that last one might not have been my parents.

One that made sense to me many years later was the notion of - careful how you pick your friends as they are a reflection of you.  Well did I get lucky and fall into a good thing with this pick.

Many, many years ago I was not the same guy.  Sure the OCD existed, but the focus was let's say, a little less healthy.  I'm sure most of us can relate.

I was the guy your mother warned you about.  OK, maybe that's a little bit of a stretch, but as my wife tells me it was the bad boy attitude that was part of the fun attraction.   Of course "we" would have to change that later.

I met my wife at her place of employment that conveniently happened to be where I went to deposit my earnings in a hope to offset my ridiculous spending habits.  Yep, a bank.  Here was the cutest little girl behind the counter that had the most warm, inviting and pure personality that you felt like you knew her for years.  And did I mention that her middle name might as well have been fahrenheit... hot was an understatement.

But alas, my focus was distorted and felt I wasn't ready for anything but another party.  Or perhaps, God decided let this boy ripen a bit more before he is harvested.  If sewing wild oats were to give out awards I would have had a red carpet in front of me.

So for the next 2 years this cute banker and I would continue to be friends.  And then it happened.  My moment of clarity.  You're thinking this is the part of the story where I got smart and discovered what was in front of me, right?  Bingo.

So smarter, newer-er, me would just approach my cute banker girl and say 'now it's time' and all would be right in the world.  What's that?  What is this boyfriend you speak of?  Oh that was just another small grain of sand in the hour glass that would only delay the inevitable.  Finding true love.

So here we are in the now with 17 years of perfect marriage.  And in all of this, where is the OCD and to what fun does it play with our story?  I obsess over doing everything possible to make my wife happy.  Oh it sounds nice and for the most part it really is.  But of course there is a downside.  Let her not feel well or have a problem I can't solve and then I start to come unglued.  I'm working on that.

Julie - you make me want to be a better man.