My darling Blake is very protective. Not in a "You can't do anything without me and you must never talk to strangers and you must stay behind me whilst I perform this football block as we pass this group of strangers" kind of way.
By the way, ask us to tell the story of the guy who DOES run football blocks for his girlfriend as they pass random strangers. It's much better in person.
Blake is protective in that he wants me to be safe and happy and feeling well. He helped me realize the new noise I had been hearing in the middle of the night was cars driving over a steel plate recently installed in the street by our apartment, which I'd conjured all sorts of scary reasons for and sleeping in a huge new apartment by myself right now has been easier ever since. He asks, with genuine concern, if I'm doing okay if I look stressed or tired. We check in with each other when one of us drives home at night, to let the other know we're safe. He also likes to come to campus with me in the evenings to study while I attend class, not just because he likes the extra time with me, but because he doesn't love the idea of me walking the 1.5 miles between our friend's house where I park and campus proper in the dark alone. Of course I can handle it and have for several months before we met, but it's nice to have him there just in case.
One thing you may notice as we walk together is that I am almost always on his left. The first time I ever held hands with someone, when I was 13 as he escorted me to my parents' car after a school dance, he told me that in the time of knights, a lady would always be on a gentleman's left so that he could use his right hand to draw his sword if necessary.
Turns out, that's pretty much what Blake does. His first career choice post-college was to attend the police academy. While he ultimately decided that was not his ultimate career path, it was ingrained in him to never carry anything in his gun hand as it would take longer to drop whatever was there in order to defend himself than if there was nothing in that hand in the first place. He doesn't even conceal carry, but just in case he needs to defend us physically, his right hand is almost always at the ready.
Now that I'm aware of that, I try to help. So if we're walking, and I say "switch?" and we walk around each other until I'm on his left, that's why. I think it's good to help him maintain the habit and it may one day be a good thing.
By the way, ask us to tell the story of the guy who DOES run football blocks for his girlfriend as they pass random strangers. It's much better in person.
Blake is protective in that he wants me to be safe and happy and feeling well. He helped me realize the new noise I had been hearing in the middle of the night was cars driving over a steel plate recently installed in the street by our apartment, which I'd conjured all sorts of scary reasons for and sleeping in a huge new apartment by myself right now has been easier ever since. He asks, with genuine concern, if I'm doing okay if I look stressed or tired. We check in with each other when one of us drives home at night, to let the other know we're safe. He also likes to come to campus with me in the evenings to study while I attend class, not just because he likes the extra time with me, but because he doesn't love the idea of me walking the 1.5 miles between our friend's house where I park and campus proper in the dark alone. Of course I can handle it and have for several months before we met, but it's nice to have him there just in case.
One thing you may notice as we walk together is that I am almost always on his left. The first time I ever held hands with someone, when I was 13 as he escorted me to my parents' car after a school dance, he told me that in the time of knights, a lady would always be on a gentleman's left so that he could use his right hand to draw his sword if necessary.
Turns out, that's pretty much what Blake does. His first career choice post-college was to attend the police academy. While he ultimately decided that was not his ultimate career path, it was ingrained in him to never carry anything in his gun hand as it would take longer to drop whatever was there in order to defend himself than if there was nothing in that hand in the first place. He doesn't even conceal carry, but just in case he needs to defend us physically, his right hand is almost always at the ready.
Now that I'm aware of that, I try to help. So if we're walking, and I say "switch?" and we walk around each other until I'm on his left, that's why. I think it's good to help him maintain the habit and it may one day be a good thing.
1 comment:
I'm generally on his left too (Brett's, not Blake's). Exceptions are when we are walking on the side of the road with traffic, then he walks between traffic and me. In large crowds I generally go first with his hand on my back to "guide" me.
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