Small Word But, So Much Meaning

Sunday morning during our coffee/cat play time, I asked my spouse “What would you miss most, if I was no longer alive”? His answer was immediate and definitive. Food. That was his answer. My first reaction was, what… seriously food? Yes that was his answer and …. he told me that he had thought about it before so was sure that this was what he would miss most.  Before you react with a “RUN- you are a chef who is not being paid”- there is more to the story and an explanation that makes sense. Also, just to be transparent- I am not married to a man who seeks out deep communication. He once described having deep conversations as being as much fun as having a dental cavity filled.  His MO is to use humor as a distraction to weighty conversation.

Of course, my monkey brain was trying to process what “FOOD” meant and this led to a follow-up question. “Can you explain what you mean by, food?”.  His explanation was short and sweet. “We plan our weekly meals together, we always do the food shopping together, you cook and I clean, and we eat the majority of meals together. I cherish this. “Think about it, so many hours of our life are spent, thinking about, planning, buying, prepping, cooking, eating, and cleaning up after – FOOD.  So I would miss you all the time”.

FOOD was not the answer I was expecting.  But, it is the right answer because it is his truth. So maybe I wanted  a made up answer to feed my ego but I what I really needed was a real answer that required me to do a some work to understand. Growth comes from work and that includes deepening our understanding of those that mean the most to us.  As we approach the end of 2023 may we continue to learn and grow.

Peace