My Husband is my Role Model

I hate to brag but I'm pretty sure I hit the jackpot when it comes to spouses. I know you're probably sick to death of hearing people say they married their best friend (everyone on Facebook makes this claim on each and every anniversary) but I'm sorry, this is true for me, too. My relationship with my husband is easily the longest friendship I've sustained over the course of my life so far. Maybe this is because he's the only one who will put up with me?

Needless to say, my husband is easy going. He is forgiving. While mostly frugal, when it comes to friends or family in need, he is always abundantly generous. He has a great sense of humor and makes me laugh out loud on a daily basis. He is the one who taught me to laugh at myself, and boy am I an easier person to live with now! (Still a royal pain, but just a smaller one...)

But all these reasons are not why I'm writing this blog about how much I admire my husband.

I'm writing about him today because he is preparing to make a life-long dream come true. He is about to check a huge accomplishment off his bucket list. He's going to fly halfway around the world to visit the country he has wanted to see for over 30 years. He's finally going to Japan.

Way back in college, my hubby fell in love with everything Japanese. It was a fluke, really. He signed up for a Japanese language course because all the other language classes were full. And this class made all the difference in the course his life would take. Soon he was studying aikido, a martial art which originated in Japan. He discovered a profound connection to this practice and eventually moved to Washington, DC to follow his sensei. Thirty-some-odd years later, he is now a sensei himself, although he would never describe himself this way.

 Did I mention he loves to fold things? This is a picture of his hakama--a long garment worn when practicing aikido--folded in the traditional manner.

Is he nervous about the trip? Sure. Is he going to let a few nerves stop him? Never! And this is what I admire.

We can all come up with a million reasons not to exit our comfort zones. I know I find travel very stressful, and that's a quick trip to the beach. Not a trip around the world to a country where the language, food, customs, everything is completely unfamiliar.

I'm still hoping some of his courage will rub off on me. Maybe one of these days I'll be ready to take a big leap of my own. Japan? No. But I hope I'll eventually be brave enough to publish a novel.

Thanks for putting up with my boasting. May we all be inspired by someone brave in our lives. I hope we can support each other in the quest to conquer new ground and cross things off our bucket lists.