Brian, the boys, and I spent part of the weekend in Ojai, CA with some friends for a little getaway.
I realized on the way there that this time of the month was not one I was prepared for and I asked Brian to stop once we got into the small town and run in and buy some tampons.
Brian found my bounty and was in line to make the purchase when a rugged mountain man behind him (buying Coors Light, no less), leans in and asks Bri, “Did you find the right color?” Brian turns back to him and says, “Yes I did, thank you for asking, and you can never be too careful, so I bought the three pack with multiple absorbencies.” This made both of them start laughing.
I’m sure the man was joking around, and trying to playfully embarrass Brian (“haha, poor you, big macho man buying feminine products for his partner…”). As much as it was all in good fun, the fact that Brian not only wasn’t embarrassed, but one upped him with his knowledge of the contents of the box he possessed, and clear lack of fear of it, made the joke even more entertaining, and he won the respect of the check-out line.
When Brian was getting in the car, the man who had initiated the conversation was walking back to his and smiling and waving at Brian. It was a fun moment. There was enough of a playfulness of the situation, a sense of small-town community, and a bit of education to the people listening in, that made me not only be so happy to have married someone like Brian, but realize how the majority of people are all striving for connection and to learn with one another, as silly as the initial connection may be.
