Friday 14 December 2012

my marriage to a Hobbit nerd

Last night Sean and I had a rare date night and went to the premiere showing of The Hobbit (it was great; we loved it. If you're a fan you should go see it, pronto). We weren't sure how busy it would be and wanted to be sure of getting good seats so we arrived two and a half hours early.

There were only five people ahead of us in line. One of them had a tattoo in Elvish on his arm.

As we sat there chatting with our new found Hobbit friends I realized something. I had been suspecting it for some time. As the premiere approached, Sean's daily visits to fan sites and meticulous watching of every trailer, clip, and tv spot tipped me off, but last night confirmed it. I am married to a nerd.

The thing is, I don't think I realized how much of a nerd he was when I married him. I thought he was a "movie buff." I now know that "movie buff" is just a code word for nerd (just a warning for all you single ladies. Beware!).

All of this has had me thinking about the mystery of the human person. We are made in the image and likeness of God, which gives us greater depth than we can ever know. We grow, we learn, we change. Every day. Until we die. Which means that no one can ever really be boring. If we find someone boring then we're not looking closely enough.

I've also been reading about the temperament types: four categories that explain the natural inclinations and tendencies of different types of people (The Temperament God Gave You by Art and Laraine Bennett). I find it extremely interesting and helpful to some degree, but I've begun to notice something. It's pretty easy to pigeonhole people that I don't know very well, but the better I know someone the harder I find it to fit them into a category. Sean is the most difficult by far. When I think of all the different sides of him that I'm getting to know I find it almost impossible.

After pulling my hair out over it for a little while I've realized that it doesn't really matter. Because people don't ever fit neatly into categories. If they do then it's probably because, again, we're not looking closely enough. Take the categories for what they're worth (because they are helpful when used properly), and then forget about them and just marvel at the beauty and complexity of God's creation.

Two and half years ago I didn't know that my soon to be husband was a big ole' nerd in hiding. Now I know. And that's awesome. It's amazing that after two and a half years I'm still only scratching the surface of the mystery that is my husband. Every day, if I make the effort, I can find a little bit more of him to fall in love with.

6 comments:

  1. Ha! I've known he's a nerd all along. Guess I should've tipped you off before you married him...

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  2. NICE! I have been experiencing the same thing! Our nerds have been encouraging each other! If Grant made me sit through all the trailers one more time, while comparing their little differences and hoping for a few new shots, I was going to cry. And yet, I love the world he has introduced me to! God is good!

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    1. Yes! I was definitely thinking about you as I wrote this. We could start a Nerd Wife Club.

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  3. Steph! I just wrote you and email, then hopped on Dan's Facebook to hunt new pictures of you down, and found a link to your blog. I am delighted! Thanks for sharing your experiences. I can't wait to read all your blogs!

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  4. Wow, you have a blog! Awesome post! I'll never forget the time we were sitting at Kitty Murray as you were preparing for the wedding and you mentioned how no matter how much you think you know someone there is always more to them. To that, Sean replied, "Yeah, one day you could walk into the bathroom and I'll be dancing in a Banana suit in there!" :) Good times, miss you guys!

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    1. Haha! Neither Sean nor I have a clear memory of that but it sounds like something he would say. Well, he still surprises me, but no banana suit yet.

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