“Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.” -Oprah Winfrey

I absolutely love that! That’s the definite truth! It’s no secret that when things are good you’ll have a steady supply of company but when you really need it most times it’s not or they’re not there. Even though most days aren’t perfect what I can say is that I have my bus rider. In all his frustrations he has offered a steady supply of encouragement and support and he’s been right here struggling beside me. Do you have your bus rider?

As a young girl my grandmother kept chickens and as an adult my mother did too. For those of you who have kept chickens or know someone who has you know that it’s true, chickens do flock when you come towards them with feed but will protest if you don’t take their eggs away quickly and carefully. You may want to know where I’m going with this so I’m going to explain but let me first say that if I offend you, you may just want to take a closer look in the mirror. Here goes.

There are some women that I can compare to chickens. I never liked hearing men call women “chicken heads” but I’ll have to admit that in my opinion some women behave just like them. There are some women who don’t want to do the hard work that comes along with keeping a man and maintaining a household. They want the man to come perfectly prepackaged with treats (feed) but have no intention of sacrificing (the eggs) what it takes to create the perfect package.

I’ve noticed that women are even more interested in my other half recently and I contribute it to what I will refer to as their chicken mentality. My other half is looking real good right now. He is SUPPORTING me and our children while I attend school full time and not only that he moved us over 1,000 miles away to a place he hates to do it. Talk about sacrifice and dedication, right? He keeps the kids on his days off while I rush off to get my education. This he refers to endearingly as his “Daddy Day Care” days. He does the laundry, washes dishes, and even cooks sometimes too. Talk about luck, huh? Actually I am very lucky to have him but now for the sad part, he didn’t come like this and he doesn’t do it for FREE. I provide the eggs ladies and no I’m not referring to our beautiful children. In return I take really good care of him or in his words I “spoil the sh*t” out of him.

So the moral of the story is what glitters isn’t always gold and that feed that you’re flocking around doesn’t always taste like (insert your favorite food here). I also know for a FACT that none of you COULD or WOULD carry my load and definitely can’t handle the investment. Sometimes it’s best not to chase something that isn’t your reality. You might end up with something you didn’t bargain for.

A true test of the strength of any relationship usually occurs when tragedy hits or there is any alteration in the norm.  Stress can make people behave in funny ways sometimes pulling them closer and sometimes driving a wedge between them.  I have truly been blessed with a partner that stands by my side each and every time the “going gets tough”.  While things aren’t always easy we manage to hold each other up when it’s truly necessary and even while things are going right.  With him by my side I know that there is nothing we can’t do together and for this I am very thankful.  As each day marks one day closer to my graduation I look forward to a very promising future together.  Our children have been understanding and have sacrificed many things while we’ve taken the hard road to finding success but I know that just like our future looks promising so does theirs and together he and I will be able to give them all the things they’ve been missing as we guide them into their futures.