Enigma 📖📚

I see a lot of conversations about gender roles on the timeline these days. Truthfully, I believe some roles naturally come easier to one person than the other. But I also believe marriage is not a competition. Sometimes it is simply about supporting your partner in ways that make life easier for both of you. Before my husband and I got married, I was very honest with him about something. There were certain chores I had never done in my life. Not only had I never done them, I had absolutely no interest in learning them. I told him plainly, “If this is going to be a problem, let us discuss it now because I don’t want surprises after marriage.” I even suggested that if it became necessary, we could always pay someone to do it. My husband looked at me and said, “Why would we do that? I’ll do it.” I laughed. Not because I didn’t believe him. I just thought it was one of those sweet things people say before marriage. You know the kind. The promises that sound beautiful during courtship and mysteriously disappear after the wedding. Well, here we are over 14 years later. Not once has this man asked me to do those chores. Not once. Not even a “Can you help me this one time?” Nothing. The funny thing is that after years of watching him do it, I eventually learned how to do it myself. Every now and then I would feel guilty and offer to help. His response was always the same. Don’t worry about it. Just sit there and keep me company. Imagine that. I came to help and got reassigned to the position of Official Companion. So there I would sit, talking, laughing, giving completely unnecessary commentary while he worked. Sometimes I wonder if that was his plan all along. Maybe he knew that if he kept doing it long enough, one day I would learn by watching. Or maybe he simply meant what he said. What I know for sure is that he kept his word. And in a world where people make promises they never intend to keep, I think that’s one of the most beautiful gifts you can give your spouse. Not the chore itself. Not the task. The consistency. The fact that fourteen years later, your actions still match your words. Marriage has taught me that love is often found in the small things people do repeatedly without keeping score. And sometimes, love looks like a husband telling his wife, “Don’t bother. Just sit there and keep me company.”