Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Mr. McCollum, May your notches be plenty!

Latest photo of Mr. McCollum, sacrificing his beliefs for his very stubborn third son.

Mr. McCollum got older yesterday. Mr. McCollum is a very talented man. On the outside he's just a regular guy. Very common. Very normal. Very average. But on the inside he's quite impressive. He's managed to accomplish every goal he's ever had. Ever since he was 9 years old he's managed, against any odds, to get what he's wanted. Not by being unpleasant or forceful, but by being tactful and patient. When he was 9 years old he wanted a toy called a Dino Rider. I guess they were popular when we were kids. I didn't know about them because my brothers and I weren't into dinosaurs. I guess it was a pretty expensive toy because he had to do a lot of work to earn enough money to buy one. But he did it. Thanks to his father, I know this story. It's in The Archives of John McCollum, right up there with the chapter on Wendy and the Oranges.
I didn't know Mr. McCollum until he was 18 years old. When we met, he decided that I was the one for him. I didn't agree. But he waited. And waited. For four years he waited, patiently. He kept our acquaintance/friendship in good standing until he worked his magic powers and won me over. He didn't win me over by being outstanding at anything or impressing me with his coolness or knowledge. As far as I knew, he had neither of these qualities. His magic powers had a lot to do with him being himself. Not the average guy that everyone else sees. But the guy who likes all the holiday candies, who likes Porsches because he likes to fix them up, who likes to paint model tanks, who feels for people when they make a fools of themselves, who wishes he had taken piano lessons when he was young, who likes to wear polo shirts, who likes to go shopping with his mom, who knows what he likes and why he likes it and can't be swayed.
So, we got married. We've been married for almost 10 years. He's still managed to have energy to reach for goals and attain them. He's always wanted to be a fake Marcus Brody. You know the part in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Arc where Indiana tells the enemy that they'll never find Marcus Brody because he speaks however many different languages and he'll blend in? Well, that's who Mr. McCollum has become. I don't know about the blending in part, but he has certainly accomplished his goal of learning how to speak plenty of languages. He leads our family to all these strange places and situations. He manages to mold our families' life around his goals without even realizing it. Or maybe he does realize it. I don't know. I just know that he's in charge without being bossy. So, if you ever end up working with Mr. McCollum, watch out! You may end up doing something you never dreamed of, and ten years down the road you will look back and ask yourself, "How did I get here?"
So, here I am in life, married to Mr. McCollum. Hoping that his dreams won't tax me too much. Glad that he still includes me in them. Grateful that he has thus far. Fortunate to have an ample knowlegde of the world and its people and to have rich memories and good friends collected from each episode of our lives.
Mr. McCollum will never stop taking classes. Mr. McCollum will never stop being interested in new things. He will never stop learning. He will never relax too long. I'm grateful I stumbled upon such a man, and that this man chose me, because I know for certain that my eye would not have been keen enough to notice his unique traits and exciting approach to life and the world around him. I love Mr. McCollum. I wish him another successful year of accomplishments. May your notches be plenty, my love!

3 comments:

Sarah @ Baby Bilingual said...

Happy anniversary and congratulations on your pregnancy! (I'm certainly enjoying having a baby girl myself.)

Thanks for listing me on your blogroll. Are you raising your children bilingually? I'd love to read more about that aspect of your homeschooling.

Sonja said...

yay! what a great couple you make.

Marcelo Rod Da Silva said...

That was so beautiful ... Yeah, you're right ... This is Mr. McCollum.