Knowing Me, Knowing You

I don't often write about FH on this blog. Sure, he pops up from time to time - usually as a hapless extra in some mildly amusing anecdote - but he's never really had a starring role.
I suppose the reasons for that are privacy (shoo, shoo, you invasive Paparazzi!), reserve (blogging is as much about knowing what not to write about as what you can write about...) and tone (I aim for light-hearted - sometimes pissed off - but rarely introspective).

But, what the heck, things can change: I've decided to innovate.
Today FH surprised me - so in turn, I will surprise myself by sharing the story.

A couple of weeks ago, I embarked on a career review consultation-thingy ("bilan de compétences", for the Francophiles). Once a week, I meet with an independent consultant, and we discuss my achievements, aptitudes, weaknesses, future plans, etc.... and, well, the theory is that 2 months from now, she processes all this information, tells me what my wonderful (well-paid) fulfilling, ideal career should be, and then I go on to breezily live out the dream.
Yes well. At the moment we're only at session 2, and session 2 requires me to analyse my personality, strengths and weaknesses, and ask a few people close to me to do the same (i.e. what do they think of me?).

To be honest, the first two people I asked to provide a character analysis were Sophie (a good friend) and my boss. And then, almost as an afterthought, I thought I'd ask FH if he wanted to contribute.
As a truly modern woman, I asked him this via an e-mail sent from work (e-mail being our most effective communication method these days: its major advantage is that it does not require us to shout over the heads of two noisy boys in order to exchange an opinion or two).

To my surprise, an hour later, FH replied with a detailed, well thought out list of my qualities and character traits... and a summary of how he thought I should evolve career-wise.

I was amazed, truly amazed.
Everything he wrote was so spot-on, perfectly expressed, truthful and poignant, and totally lacking in negative judgement.
Perhaps my surprise surprises you? Maybe it's a given that a husband should know and understand his wife right down to the finer points of her personality: I don't know.
The thing is, though, when you're in the "baby years" (as I affectionately refer to this crazy phase of life), and the majority of your husband-wife conversations revolve around domestic logistics and - very occasionally - vague future aspirations... you forget that beneath all that, there is a man you chose to marry. For good reasons.

When I read his e-mail, I felt my heart flutter in that clichéd but oh-so-exciting first date fashion. I felt I had just had an exquisite chance encounter with a man who understood me. Understood and - perhaps - loved me for who I was.
A man who saw the little weaknesses... and turned them into positives.

Believe me, every day is not like this. I cannot honestly say that we are the poster couple for "sweet marital harmony". But who is?
And these moments occur, so they're worth mentioning. I tuck them away, saving them up both on my hard drive and in my mind... poignant reminders that the man I married know who I am, and loves me.