Bad Boys for Life!

There are things that are simply known and understood between people that do not have to be said. My DW knows an awful lot about me and can basically give up a prediction on how I will react to most things; we are still learning about each other which is mostly fun at our advanced ages and in our young marriage. My daughter, TC, knows that I will hunt down, tar and feather any boy in a fifty foot radius. My father knows that I hate speaking on the phone so he needs to call, get to the point, and then go away so we can watch Amazing Race in peace. The LB knows that I have little patience for foolishness and ignorance, especially from within our family; he knows what to bring to me and what not to.

My LB and I have been through a lot in our young lives; both together and far apart. We both have had to deal with some health issues but definitely him more than me. We both had had some traumatic incidents happen that initially numbed and paralyzed us in different ways but that we have both now embraced in a way that has released us from those restrictions. We both love and hate family on such a profound level that we would do anything to be closer to them, yet would move far enough away that a yearly visit would be almost impossible. We approach things in such vastly different ways, but in the end, our end result is exactly what the other would want.

Though we never speak of it in our family, there is a very obvious division within the sibling ranks. Our older brother and sister, nine and eight years removed from me respectively (another five on top of that for the LB) are of a same mother but different father than us two. As much as one promotes a single family unit, their experiences are different to ours and they have an entirely different bond than LB and I have (though I am glad my older brother never dropped snot rocks into my cup of tea so that he could have it). We recently realized that in the big picture, I have always looked out for him and he has always looked out for me. That is how it has always been (even when I wanted to beat his ass) and it is how it will always be.

We have some hefty challenges ahead of us in life and all we gots is our wits, our DWs, our children and each other. There are many people out there with more. There are billions with a lot less. I thank my blessings today.

We live together. We die together. Bad Boys 4 Life!