My Remarkable Man and His Remarkable Life Lessons

My father would only wear pajama tops to bed.  My mother had a best friend whose husband only wore pajama bottoms to bed.  When they discovered this, for every pair of pajamas bought, it was like buying a two for one got the tops and the other got the bottoms.  Well, somehow, my grandson has inherited the pajama top only gene from his great-grandfather that he never met.

My partner and I were having a lazy Saturday morning with our grandson taking our time over breakfast and coffee and apple juice.  The sports channel was playing in the background.  I don't remember the context but I remember my partner saying, "I was there for that game.  It was a demonstration game and I sat in the stands next to Pele."

My partner is the biggest soccer fan I know, or as he would say, "the real football".  I don't enjoy soccer as I prefer watching sports where something actually happens.  But, I respect his passion.  I don't understand it, but I respect it, and I sure know Pele, arguably one of the greatest footballers of all time.

I found it remarkable that I didn't know that he had met Pele.  I thought I knew everything about him, but he held this back and just casually mentioned it.  I rode in an elevator once with Wayne Gretzky and everyone I know has heard that story.

My partner has led a remarkable life.  He has traveled the world and has gone to every place on my bucket list.  At one point, he held valid passports from three different countries.  He has two linked in profiles one for his professional life and another for his volunteer life.  He has volunteered for almost every significant event in our province for the last decade and is looking forward to taking his volunteerism international next year.  He is well read and has a wonderful blog where he is very open about battling depression.

Yet, I am always still learning things about him.

I have to admit that one of the things that I was attracted to him was that he didn't have any baggage.  We met while we were both middle-aged but he had never been married nor had any children.  The joke was on me, though, as it turned out that not only did he have baggage, he had the full 9 piece matching Samsonite set of luggage.  But, we have compromised on that and he has traded in his set for a sleek carry-on and I can deal with that.

So, among all the things I love about him, is how much he loves my children.  They tell him more than they tell me and I think that is wonderful.  The excitement that he has about being a grandfather is amazing.  He is in his glory and I am sure he is going to add "diaper changer" to his resume.

While our grandson was playing on the floor wearing only pajama tops, I told my remarkable man that our angel needed a diaper change.  My partner asked how I knew from across the room.  I told him the blue line had told me that it was 70% full.

He didn't know that diapers had such a demarcation and marveled in the genius of this system.  It was as if I told him that world was actually round and not flat.  He was actually awe struck.  It was as if he had just learned the most remarkable life lesson of all.   Of all the remarkable things that he has experienced, this was right up there.

I guess the secret is out now on why I love him.