Have you heard of the olive theory? Well, I don’t believe in this theory, mainly because Jon and I both really like olives. It works out well for us because when we’re at the store, and I say, “Should we get some olives?” I never have to hear Jon say, “Ew no. I hate olives.” Anyway while our mutual love of olives is pretty awesome, it’s not reason number 2 why I am lucky to love Jon. Instead this reason has to do with a mutual fear…
Last week, I was checking out the veggie garden at Dean’s house, and when I looked down, I saw a fake snake coiled around the base of a tomato plant. “Ah!” I said, then, to Dean’s nephew, “Did you put that fake snake there to try to scare me?” Then as he was saying “wha..” the snake’s head moved, and I immediately about faced, and ran (a la Richard Gere in Runaway Bride) towards the screened in porch, while yelling, “Oh my God EWWW there’s a snake in the garden!” Now, while my reaction was quite ridiculously cliché, I did have sandals on. Nobody wants a snake slithering across their bare feet- gross.
While, there’s nothing more cliché than a somewhat-girly girl being terrified of snakes, the significant part of the story is what happens next. Dean caught the snake, and he and his nephew carried it onto the patio, his nephew yelling, “Come on Frank, Face your fear!” So after my ridiculous reaction I had to go face to face with snake, and while doing that, take this picture.
Here’s the awesome part, Jon was sitting on the sofa in the screened in porch, with his feet up and his toes curled under. No one noticed Jon’s quiet inconspicuous refusal to face his phobia, no one- except me. And can I tell you… I was smitten. Oscar Wilde said, “You don’t love a person for their looks, or their clothes, or for their fancy car, but because they sing a song only you can hear.” Jon was singing his song about being terrified of all things creepy crawly, and it was music to my heart. I’m lucky to love Jon for our mutual fear of snakes, mine blazingly obvious and cliché, his not-so-much.
How about you?
Do you and your significant other have mutual fears?
Is there something totally non-cliche about him/her that you just adore?
I’d love to hear.
<3 Frank
