A friend of mine, Steve Sukkau, sent me this yesterday and I decided to share it (with his permission, of course).
Happy Valentine’s Day sweetheart!
From the Wife of a Gamer
“Married to a Superhero”
I would consider myself a bit of a geek and am very proud of my geek status. My geekdom comes in the form of a love for action, adventure, and superheroes. For as long as I can remember I have been enthralled in a world of heroes, villains and kick ass super powers. As a kid I loved cartoons like the X-Men, the Ninja Turtles, Darkwing Duck, Gargoyles and of course the Mighty Morphing Power Rangers.
Being a very creative and imaginative little girl I often spent my time imagining myself as part of one of these heroic bands of extraordinary people. Sometimes I was Kimberly the Pink Power Ranger and other days I was the kick ass Rogue. And of course, being a girl, I often assumed the love stories that went along with those characters falling madly in ‘love’ with the Tommy the White Ranger or the romantic Remy LeBeau or Gambit.
And while I love Mario Bros, which is also one of the only video games I have ever played, I have never envisioned myself as a Princess Peach. (Well that is until our wedding when we got a Mario and Princess Peach cake topper). Princess Peach is useless. She sits in a tower guarded by Bowser waiting for a stocky little plumber with a big mustache to come and save the day. Get off your lazy butt girl!
I much prefer the stories and adventures where the hero and his beautiful heroine take on the powers of darkness together. I have always dreamed of one day finding my super hero and having adventures together, fighting the forces of evil side by side. And I am extremely happy to say that I have been married to my hero for almost a year and a half now.
Whether you are like me and dream of being a side-kick or prefer the damsel in distress role, every girl needs a hero. What most men don’t realize is how easy it is to be a real hero. It’s as simple as coming home to a clean house because my husband got off work early that day, or an encouraging word after a discouraging day at the office.
Yesterday my husband proved just how truly heroic he is. After forgetting my wallet at a local restaurant I called to find out if it had been found. I was assured that my wallet was safe and sound behind the counter and that I could come and pick it up. When I went to get it, the wallet had mysteriously ‘disappeared’. After feeling like I had been getting a bit of a runaround for a couple of days my husband decided to take matters into his own hands.
He went down to the establishment and had a chat with the manager to try and resolve the situation with some sort of apology and compensation or at the very least assurance that everything that could be done to find was being done. The man had a lot of excuses and needless to say I am still wallet-less. But I have never been prouder of my husband. His willingness to defend my honor and to do whatever necessary to see that my things were returned, even to the point of filing a police report, was the most kind, loving and heroic act anyone has ever done for me. To some this may not seem like the same death-defying acts of heroism we see in comic books or in Mario’s plight to rescue Princess Peach, but to me it was even better.
Every man has the potential to be someone’s hero, but every Superman has a kryptonite. I firmly believe the most deadly form is an unappreciative wife. When Superman rescues Lois Lane she doesn’t sit there and scold him for taking so long, or criticize the way he did it. Ladies, when your man does something heroic for you, please make sure you say thank you, and give them the hero’s welcome they deserve.
And I think, as much as I don’t like being ignored all weekend when a new video game comes out, being married to a gamer has shown me how much men long to take on the role of a hero. And while my husband doesn’t have a moustache or wear overalls, it is possible for every guy, gamer or not, to become the hero their wife desperately needs. These games bring out their deeply rooted desire to come to the damsel’s aid, inspiring them and encouraging them to take on that role in their family’s lives.
So, that being said…
Thank you Steven for being my hero, yesterday, today and everyday.
AAAAWW… Comments?