suprise

I was working a few weeks ago when an older gentleman came into the restaurant with his wife. He discretely slipped the hostess this note and she passed it along to me before I greeted the table.

Typed, printed, and trimmed to just the right size to protect the surprise, I couldn't help but be impressed by the lengths he went to to make his wife's birthday special. I held onto the note, and in the days that followed I found myself wondering what other ways he has surprised her throughout the course of their marriage, and even now, what plans he's currently making to keep their relationship new and exciting. Even at 80 years old. 

[image via pinterest]

I think it impacted me most significantly because when I picture their lives, from the outside looking in, they seem strongly intertwined, tightly woven together. He knows her faults and shortcomings, she knows his quirks and nuances. They spend their days together. They spend their nights together. They are a part of each other in a way that cannot be separated. He is her future, she is is past,  2 have become 1 . But even now, after all these years, he wants desperately to impress her. He values her, cherishes her, and adores her. This is obvious. I'd say it was probably hard for him to keep this small surprise a "secret" from her, as I assume they share everything with one another. But he pulled it off. And she was thrilled. 

That is love.