My wife is a social animal. Since the vast majority of those reading these words know her personally, this doesn’t come as a surprising observation.
But Leah’s social nature manifests itself in some interesting ways. Like online shopping. Here’s how most of us shop online:
- Do a search for an item.
- Locate item.
- Click a couple buttons and buy item online.
Here’s what Leah’s process looks like:
- Do a search for an item.
- Locate item.
- Get on the phone and call a customer representative to ask all sorts of questions about the item’s comfort, particular hue, durability, materials, and / or sizing.
- Hang up phone and stare at the item online for a couple hours.
- Click a couple buttons and buy item online.
Two nights ago, she was shopping for some rubber boots somewhere and couldn’t seem to decide just which color she wanted. I was sitting on the couch next to her, watching “Young Frankenstein.” I was just at the scene where Frau Blucher is revealing herself to Frederick as the person who lead him to discover his grandfather’s secret library. He’s ascending the stairwell backwards, throwing questions at her, as she follows him with the violin, replying, “Yes! Yes! YES!” You know the one. Anyway, the customer service rep overhears the movie and tells Leah how much she loves it. From there on out it was like they were two best friends.
I have days when I’d just as soon cut off my arm as I would talk to anyone, but Leah never suffers these bouts. She’s always ready with a smile and a kind word for absolutely anyone who crosses her path, regardless of whether she knows him. It’s clear she gets a lot of enjoyment from these interactions, from being a part of a community. She is the yin to my yang. The chocolate to my peanut butter. The nine to my six. The Kahn to my Wilder. She completes me.