Husbands

As mentioned already in the description of my blog, I have married a terrific man. He is perfect in almost every way - for example, when Tom saw that my shifter was not lighting up (the thing that tells you what gear you're in), he removed my entire shift counsel and replaced the light for under $2 (cost of 2 light bulbs). Needless to say, Tom is a very good mechanic.

However, no one is perfect. With much hesitation, I am saying that Tom needs a little help in the gift-giving department. I hesitate in saying this because I have loved all of the things he has given me - not for the item itself but for the thought. For example, after a long weekend away from each other, Tom bought me some New Balance socks (my favorite brand) as my homecoming gift. When I told him that most men buy their wives flowers when they pick them up at the airport, Tom said, "Why didn't you tell me?" And even though these socks are the type I usually get I wear them with pride because they were gifts from my husband who thought of me.

As Valentine's Day and my birthday are fast-approaching, Tom keeps pressing me about what I want. I have not told him in these exact words, but the truth is, I don't know what I want. And this is also intrinsically linked to the fact that we now share the same bank account so I do not have any interest in watching the balance go down. The other part is, and I hope Tom will this learn someday, the secret to gift-giving is the surprise element. In truth, the sine non qua of giving gifting is surprising the receiver.