Locked Out
After pulling in the garage, I attempt to open the door to the house without my key. UGH. Locked again. I did not lock it when I left a mere 15 minutes ago but it is now locked and I have to actually take my keys out of my purse and unlock the door to get inside.
I know the culprit. It was Matt, my dear husband whom I love and adore. I just do not adore how he keeps locking me out. For better or worse, I am not one to worry so much about keeping the house locked, even when I am home alone, and especially when I will only be gone for a short amount of time. When you have a “key free” ignition in your car (or whatever it’s called) you don’t have your keys out when you get home. If the door is locked, I have to take out my keys. UGH! So annoying!
“When did he even come out of his office and see that the door was unlocked in the few minutes I was gone?” I think to myself.
Anyone who lives with another person I’m sure has something (or many somethings) that annoy them about what they do. For my husband, it’s that my daughter and I leave things partly open; drawers, doors, an occasional fridge. One of the things that annoy me, obviously, is that everything is always locked. Even when my husband lets out the dog for a bit, he locks the porch door. Why? I mean really, why?
He says it’s a habit. He just does it.
But that’s not the only reason.
The real reason is-he’s a protector.
His job, as he sees it, is to protect our family. He locks doors to keep out intruders. He closes the curtains at night to keep anyone from looking in. He checks tires and oil life to ensure our safety on the road. He tells me to be careful when using a sharp knife. (He also knows I don’t do well with blood!).
I’m sure this part of his personality comes naturally and has been developed by his upbringing. God gave him this sense of responsibility, and his parents shaped it with their own demonstrations and expectations. I know it also comes from his short career as a police officer. He worked six years for the New Castle County Police Department (even earning the Patrol Officer of the Year Award!) before hurting his back and deciding to return to his work as an engineer. During that time, I’m sure he saw and heard and experienced things that, for good or bad, makes him want to keep our house locked up tight.
What I do love about this trait in my husband is that I know it’s not just about wanting us to be safe-which in itself is a noble and loving reason, but also about the fact that he couldn’t imagine life without us. He couldn’t bear the idea of any one of us being hurt in any way.
How lucky are we that we have someone in our lives who takes the time, every day, to ensure our safety. How lucky am I that the man I dreamed of finding one day is actually here, keeping me from harm.
I can’t say I won’t occasionally be annoyed with the locked door after a few minutes of being out of the house—I mean, I really have to go INTO my purse to get my keys—but maybe I will try to remember the reason why and be grateful and feel loved instead of being annoyed. Yeah, I think I should do that instead.
