Memoirs of a Soon-to-Be Former Fat Guy

I’ve often heard the saying that “Behind every man is a good woman.” That’s a load of malarkey, if you ask me. The best women are the ones who are not behind, but right alongside.

I’m lucky in that respect. It took me awhile, but I found the right woman for me in, of all places, the Yahoo! Personals section. Yup… Supportive Partner Woman (best thing that’s ever happened to me!) was an internet find.

See, the time was late 2002. It was the first holiday season after my dad passed away and I was really in a bad place mentally. I used to get these email updates from Yahoo that would tell me that these profiles matched mine. The first time SPW (best thing that’s ever happened to me!)’s profile appeared, it was in the middle of summer when we were dealing with my dad’s cancer and while it looked interesting, I wasn’t in any position to deal with a relationship at the time. Periodically it would show up… this headline that read, “You’ve Got to Live! Live! Live!”

Finally, as I was sitting at home feeling sorry for myself, I got the email again. This time, I looked into it. The cost to join was $25 for a month and I thought I’d try it and if it didn’t work, well, it was $25. Truth is I spent a lot more money on many failed relationships, so this was pretty much a bargain. I took a chance and replied.

I didn’t hear anything for a while, as I recall, nearly a week. Then I got an email from this woman and we started a correspondence that lasted several weeks, until we decided to meet. We agreed to get together for dinner at a local seafood restaurant, I got there first and headed inside. A few minutes later, the door opened and the woman who would become SPW (best thing that’s ever happened to me!) fell into my arms. Literally. The door had a bit of a sill and she tripped on it and I managed to catch her before she hit the floor.

We had a great time, closing down the restaurant, and we made plans to go out again the following weekend. Mother nature intervened, so we tried again a couple of days later. From that point on, we were pretty much inseparable. We still are.

From our first vacation together… or when she turned me into a Disney geek. And yes, that is the camera I sold her when we met for the first time for the first time.

I’m taking the time to write this, though, because SPW (supporter of the first order) thinks she should be doing more to support me on this journey. Just the fact that she’s been hitting the gym and going to appointments with me means more than I can ever express. If I had to do this by myself, I wouldn’t have gotten as far as I have. I would fail miserably. I’d say she’s my rock, but that’s not true, because a rock will drag you down. Same thing with an anchor. Instead, she’s my foundation. She’s where my strength comes from. She’s not behind me but marching right alongside. Plus, good is only a beginning to describing her character. She’s so good, she makes good look bad. And she’s my wife… the one I have forsaken all others for.

I’m a very lucky guy.

I love you, Laura. You’re my missing piece, my humanity. You make me want to be a better person. I couldn’t ask for more. And know this… when you ask what you can do for me and I tell you nothing, it’s because you’ve already done it by being in my life. I just wish we had taken better notice of each other when you bought that camera so many years ago.