Lydia

I would be considered part of the “sandwich generation.” I have older parents whom I want to ensure are taken care of, and a young family that I wish to guide and support. It honestly seems like there are not enough hours in the day to ensure everything I need to finish gets done. If this wasn’t stressful enough… keeping up with this whole Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce thing is taking up more time in my life than any grown man should care to admit! Is a spring engagement in the cards? Does he join her on the European leg of the Eras Tour? What the Christ is an Eras? Does this mean he now gets half her money? Like I said, too much to do, but not enough time.

Granted, I’m not the only one with stresses…we all have a grind that we deal with, but I will say I am particularly lucky…very lucky, in fact. I got the best wife a guy could ask for riding shotgun with him. Through the highs and lows, victories and defeats, setbacks and triumphs, Lydia has been there every step of the way, and for that, I am truly grateful. For those who know me well, you know I’ve had the same best friend for close to 40 years…his name is Ron. When we were dating, I always used to joke with Lydia that she might be my wife one day, but Ron’s always going to be my soulmate. You would think the prospect of having Ron around all the time would surely scare her off, but she toughed it out, and with that, the strangest thing happened. Something that even I thought would never happen. Someone supplanted Ron (albeit by a slim margin 😊) as my one true soulmate!

Today is Lydia’s birthday (Yes, I am smart enough not to say her age), and it would be remiss of me if I didn’t dedicate this blog to the most amazing thing to happen to me. Lydia has all the major qualities a guy looks for in a wife. For starters, she is always down for going to the movies. If I can’t decide what to order at a restaurant, she will order my “second choice” so I can pick away at her plate when I’m done with mine. Perhaps most impressively, she genuinely seems (or at least did for the longest time) impressed with me winning the coveted 1994 Rosslyn Jr. High Athlete of the Year (Although she does sarcastically call me “’94” when I reminisce about my athletic prowess…hmmm?)

Here’s some insight into Lydia. For starters, she is a huge comic book fan. So much so that she has forced me to watch every one of those horrible Marvel movies. If these movies aren’t bad enough…each time we drop a cool $30 on popcorn and cherry blasters that I inevitably finish before the previews. Another fact, Lydia is daddy’s little girl. If you ask her who her favorite person in the world is…I’m certain she would pick her dad, Alfie. In all fairness, Alfie is a great guy and someone I have great admiration for, so I don’t take it personally… Plus, I take great comfort in the fact it secretly drives my mother-in-law crazy. No one, and I mean NOOOOO ONEEEEE, can find a deal like Lydia. Personally, I come from the school of thought that if you want something, you should just go ahead and buy it; live a little, right? Lydia…well, that’s a different story. Getting PC points in conjunction with Scene points, topped off with double rewards and a sprinkle of Air Miles, and somehow still getting a 10% staff discount (whether she works there or not) is literally Lydia’s superpower! (see how we went full circle back to the comic superheroes 😊).

That all being said, the most important point that I want to bring up is this… A guy can go through his whole life and not find someone to share this journey with. I guess that makes me one of the lucky ones because I have Lydia. Although at times, we have taken the scenic route…I don’t know where I would be without Lydia. Lydia is kind, fiercely loyal, thoughtful, and gives so much of herself to make sure that we continue to thrive. I would not have my three precious boys if it weren’t for Lydia. It’s one thing to have kids, but it’s a totally different thing to raise happy, productive, and inspired men. Although I play a role in that department, let’s be honest, none of this can be done without the love and support of Lydia.

Through the years, Lydia has sacrificed so much to make this journey work. For starters, she left her life as she knew it to move to Edmonton to be with me. Lydia graduated top of her class at the University of Toronto School of Pharmacy and put her career and goal of getting a Ph.D. on hold while we grew our family. Now, as we enter this new stage of our life, Lydia is at the forefront of pushing me to achieve my goals, even though it puts hers on hold. Years ago, the aforementioned Ron was once given a piece of advice that he ended up sharing with me. What he told me, verbatim is, “You will never accomplish anything in this life until you’re married and you and your wife grind it out together.” That pretty much sums it up. That might not be the case for all people, but it was for me. This long, meandering, and sometimes incoherent blog pretty much boils down to one thing… Lydia is the best!

I know Lydia like the back of my hand. When she reads this, I can guarantee you I know what she will think. For starters, “Why the hell is Ron mentioned so much in a blog that’s supposed to be about me?” Secondly, using her inside voice, Lydia will quietly concede that Marvel’s “The New Mutants” is a steaming pile of garbage and is 94 minutes of our life that we will never get back! Lastly, in typical, unselfish Lydia fashion, she will take time to give thanks for all that we have been blessed with.

Thank you for everything, I love you. Wishing you a Happy Birthday.

Robin.