Jacob’s Stories: Hero Complex

First of all, I should preface my “mini-series” with this statement: I LOVE MY HUSBAND.

We were having a conversation the other day about our individual eccentricities and how we love them in each other. For example, he commented on my drama; according to him, I often flop myself over the arm of the couch, throw my hand over my face, bewailing my life and moan, “I don’t want to do it anymore!” (“It” can mean anything and everything all at the same time). Apparently, he thinks this is entertaining. I will refrain from affirming whether his perspective of my actions is accurate or not.

One of the oddities of Jacob that I love (besides his obsessive accumulation of junk drawers—ok so maybe “tolerate” is a better word than “love” in that example) is what I like to call his “Hero Complex.” In other words, whether consciously or subconsciously, Jacob always seems to be pulled with a need to play the “good guy,” save the “damsel in distress,” destroy the “evil forces” and in all other ways save the universe. Carl Jung would delve deeply into Jacob’s brain, analyzing his familial situation, his dreams, and the society he was surrounded by to discover why Jacob developed this obsession. I simply say that it came from watching too many Indiana Jones flicks and then setting up Harrison Ford’s character as his ideal. (As a side note, Jacob even developed a strong aversion to snakes).

I can think of no better way to describe this complex than giving examples (true examples, mind you). A friend needs money—lots of it. Without hesitating, Jacob “loans” them the sum. Undoubtedly, the money is not returned but he shrugs it off. Then the situation repeats itself with a different friend and he does the same thing. After all, they are in distress. Someone repeatedly asks to borrow his jeep for various important situations (wooing a girl, going off-roading, getting around town when their vehicle is out of commission, etc). Each time the jeep is returned, it comes with a new problem to be fixed. You know, typical things like a new hole in the body, a leak in the radiator, a burnt out battery or a blown up transmission. Jacob repairs it only to turn around and lend it out again. Whenever I get hurt or sick, I know that I will need to console Jacob—he just gets so angry at himself for not protecting me from stubbing my toe or getting the flu. Who else besides someone with a hero complex actually VOLUNTEERS for a deployment? And then wants to go back for more? What an astoundingly superior man.

The point I was eventually aiming to hit with all of this verbosity is this: Because of his hero complex, Jacob has found himself in a plethora of interesting situations. In fact, between a mission, two deployments, working at the jail and his exciting, selfless life in general, he has mounds of stories—funny, exciting and disgusting. However, Jacob doesn’t generally tell his stories and I feel that they need to be told. Quite obviously, I am happy to write, and write, and write. Therefore, I have taken it upon myself in the next couple of weeks to write some of Jacob’s better accounts—with the vow to keep them as accurate and unexaggerated as possible. :) Keep your eyes open for the “mini-series” of Jacob’s stories!