My husband is so smart it's scary. I'm fairly certain he'd choose dinner with Benajmin Netanyahu over Superbowl tickets any day of the week. The thicker and more boring the book, the more excited he is to read it. He never ceases to frighten me with his knowledge.
My husband's brain is like a sponge, and he completely absorbs anything he thinks is important enough to notice. Several years ago, he realized that understanding this Islam Stuff was important, so he set to work learning what he could about Muslims and Arabs. Someone like me can hold her own with names like Sadr and Zawahiri and can handle basic conversations about the region, but my understanding of Islam and the War on Terror is positively pedestrian compared to my husband's. He set out to learn this stuff, and I'll be goldarned if he didn't learn it.
The Army hires college professors to teach the history and culture portions of Civil Affairs training. The other day in class, the professor admitted that my husband knows Islamic history better than he does, after my husband gently corrected him on a couple of historical points.
Because my husband thinks this knowledge is crucial, he doesn't slack off. He knows names and dates and Mohammed's lineage and tidbits I can't even begin to fathom. He knows more about Tajikistan than anyone from Missouri should ever need to know, and he's already speaking basic Farsi sentences despite the fact his language course doesn't start until September. The man is phenomenal.
Our fifth wedding anniversary is a couple weeks away, and I can't help but think about the time I heard Neal Boortz say that you don't even know what love is until you've been married for five years. I think he's right. The qualities that made me fall in love with my husband back in 1999 -- the fact that he wanted to talk about Sartre and Charlemagne at frat parties and that he was captain of the College Bowl team -- have only grown more pronounced over the past five years.
Love is knowing how truly lucky you are to have such a person in your life.
Posted by Sarah at May 23, 2007 12:01 AM | TrackBackawwwwwww. I know what you mean. :)
Posted by: airforcewife at May 23, 2007 09:44 AMWell, we all knew he was uber-smart. He married you, didn't he?
Oh, and in case I miss it in the next bit - Happy 5th Anniversary. :-)
Posted by: Tammi at May 23, 2007 11:18 AMIf I didn't know better, I would be highly suspicious that you were talking about MY husband. And having been married for 8 years now, I certainly love my husband more today than I did 3 years ago, and my love for him only continues to grow. It is wonderful. :)
Posted by: Butterfly Wife at May 23, 2007 04:16 PMcan you talk with my wife? ....just kidding.
Posted by: Mr Bob at May 24, 2007 05:41 PM