Q-Tip

As the natural progression of marriage moves forward, you come to expect certain things from your partner. A kiss in the morning, "How was your day?" when you return home, your back scratched at night. These are the little things in marriage that you come to expect & eventually take for granted until you fight, and then all the little things become important again.

But then there are other little things that you begin to notice that get to you... those little habits that will start to annoy you, then really bother you, then drive you COMPLETELY INSANE. My biggest pet peeve for the longest time was a Q-Tip.

Every morning my husband has a habitual routine that includes sticking a Q-Tip in his ear. I like to tease him and remark, "Poking your brain awake?" while he makes comical faces of pleasure. That isn't what bothered me. What bothered me was the way he would haphazardly flick the Q-Tip in the general direction of the trash basket and, inevitably, miss. And there it would sit on the floor.

Filthy little yellow ear-waxed Q-Tip.

I don't know why it made me want to flip out. I think I might be a germophobe, bodily fluids in general gross me out, but ear wax & snot are definitely on my cannot-tolerate list. But I have been through a divorce, so I know that freaking out over a cotton ball on a stick is pretty stupid, so I'd clean it up and keep my mouth shut. It's part of marriage. For better or for worse. This is the "worse" part. And considering what other people have to tolerate for "worse,", I've got it pretty damn good.

So we're having dinner with another couple, J. & S., and after a couple of drinks we start to bash our significant others, because that's much cheaper than therapy. And it was then that I realized, I am not alone! S. has the exact same problem with the Q-Tips!!! Hallelujah! It was like a miniature Q-Tips Anonymous meeting, and here I could vent my Q-Tip frustration in a safe place. My husband looked at me like I was crazy as S. & I carried on about Q-Tips & socks, but I suddenly felt a sense of complete relief. Because finally, I knew that it's not just me, and I'm not crazy. Sometimes your feelings need validation, otherwise you start to question your judgment, your character, even your sanity.

Shortly afterwards, my husband started making an effort to get the Q-Tips in the trash. The socks...well, that's another story, but today, I want to say THANK YOU for the Q-Tips. It's the little things that matter.