When we were younger and more well-rested. And Ninja had hair…
Ninja and I don’t travel much for business or have times where we are apart for longer than a weekend. Once in a while, I will travel with Ninjette to see my parents for about 5 days or so and that’s probably the longest that we are apart from Ninja. This time around, Ninjette and I came down to Florida earlier to spend some time with my parents and extended family.
It felt a bit strange to fly down on our own and be surrounded by my extended family without him. I’m not sure why, but it did. Ninja flew in for just the wedding – lucky him. When I picked up Ninja from the airport, we chatted the whole way back to the hotel and then we stayed up chatting some more. I had to relay all the drama that had been going on, despite the fact that we spoke to each other every day before he came. I think I was saving all the juicy stuff for an in-person update.
I realized how much I had missed Ninja and how much we try to connect at the end of the day with all the details, mundane or not. I easily forget how well he knows me – my habits, likes/dislikes, expressions on my face, and most importantly, how to support me when I am surrounded by the craziness that is my family.
In the day to day, I’m not always cognizant of how much Ninja really does for me as my confidant, friend, husband, and Ninette’s father. He reads to her with a great enthusiasm and patience. He is willing to go swim in a cold pool in 67 degree weather with her. He will bring her endless amounts of bacon and waffles at the hotel breakfast buffet. He knows when she’s reached her limit and it’s time to go home. He is the one that will carry her while she sleeps from the car to the bed.
Ninja is the one who listens to me with great patience – to all my stories, regardless of how ridiculous they may sound. He laughs at most of my jokes. He has just the right amount of empathy when it comes to my dealings with family, but also reminds me that I’m a big girl and can also make my own decisions and that saying no doesn’t mean I love my family any less. He is willing to watch over my dad, take him to the bathroom, and make sure that he is okay – in a way that he would for his own dad.
I fell in love with my husband all over again this weekend and I remembered why I married him in the first place. Absence really does make the heart grow fonder – even if it’s just for a few days.