Dulywed: Perfect Complements

The fires we've been having do magical things to the sky. The day gets cloaked in a warm orange light that makes the outside feel otherworldly, and the smoke makes clouds that bounce the already romantic light around in even prettier ways. Sure, houses are turning to ash and people are having asthma attacks, but, guys, the sky.

I went to the beach a few days ago to watch the sunset to see how it amped up the sky and just as I got to the sand a Jersey-like gorilla in a blue tank top looked at me and said, "Isn't it a beautiful night?"

Being neighborly I said, "Yep!" To which he replied, "Can I watch the sunset with you?"

Being impulsively awkward, I snort-laughed and kept walking toward the water.

I perched myself on the sand and watched the sky turn shades of pink, orange, red, and purple. I watched pelicans dive for their dinner and kept an eye out for the pod of dolphins that hangs out at the bottom of my street.

As I was about to get up to go, the gorilla bounded up behind me.

"I'm sorry but I just had to tell you you're amazing. You are so awesome."

If anyone ever wants to let me know I'm awesome, I'm happy to hear it. So I said, "Thanks. That's a very flattering thing to say."

Then he asked if I was married, I told him yes, and he let me know that he doesn't run all the way out to the water for anyone. I am just so amazing he had to come out and tell me.

I'm also so suave I said, "And now your tennis shoes are full of sand."

We exchanged niceties about where he's from and where I live and what he does for an ego-appropriate amount of time – about 2 minutes – and then he left and I headed home. Mack had come home from work while I was gone, so I promptly let him know that I am awesome and amazing and a muscleman personal trainer was so taken by me that he ran all the way out on the beach and ruined his tennis shoes to let me know.

We settled into our evening and a few minutes later, while Mack was recapping the highlights of his day, he said, "Your face looks clean today."

And that is marriage. Strangers compliment you with words like "awesome" and "amazing"; your husband offers up "clean."