Secret Likes

I once heard someone say that when you love someone, you start to love the things they love too. This couldn't be more true. Some things though, we never like, or only secretly start to like. Golf is one of those things I don't think I'm ever going to like. But I like Adam playing golf. Or standing in the military history section of Barnes and Noble. I will never find enjoyment in that, but I do like going with Adam. I like going to the museums and air shows. (It's going to the same museum ten times that I dislike). I love living on an air station and being around helicopters flying overhead all the time. I pretend to be annoyed or disinterested sometimes, but I, too, crane my neck to watch their pattern in the sky.

Adam is the same way. He pretends to think some of the things I do are lame. But I know secretly, he likes it. He likes that I love decorating the house and he'll help me pick things out. Or shows I watch on tv that are lame to pretty much everybody, he'll watch and take interest. He pretends to be bored and sigh when I'm looking at jewelry, but he never insists on leaving and always buys me something cool.

All of this became so evident at the beach over the Fourth of July weekend. We went with my college friends Brooke and Rich, Dan and Kelly, and Emily. Whenever I go to the beach I love to collect shells. I have a jar of shells from all the beaches we've lived at and visited. I like to use them in decorations or as mulch in containers. And as I walk on the beach and dig up shells in the sand, Adam just laughs at me and says I'm ridiculous. But for almost an hour that Monday on the beach, he collected shells for me. He wanted to get all the good ones that were right at the base of where the waves were crashing. So as each wave filtered back into the ocean, he would run in and pick up handfuls and shells and rocks and come running to put the good ones in my hands. He was so sweet collecting shells I didn't want to throw a single one back.

When you love someone, you love all that comes with them. Openly or secretly, I am blessed to have someone who loves all that comes with me.