BETH D’ARC

JULY 8, 2022 – Blogger’s note: I interrupt the series, “True Story: An Explanation of Life on Earth, as Told to an Alien,” to bring a special feature: Happy (Big) Birthday to Beth, my spouse of 39 years. Today she turns . . .

If I’ve learned one thing in life, it’s not to ask or advertise a woman’s age. I’m safer, however, in divulging that I’m younger than my wife: lately, when talking to friends about her (big) birthday, she herself has liberally disclosed her seniority. On one hand, her longer service makes me feel younger than I am; on the other hand, it’s a reminder of my inferior birth order (three out of four kids) and that when Beth was a fourth grader, I was a pipsqueak second grader. Somehow, that fact will never change—she the fourth grader is always right (just as are my sister the fifth grader and my sister the seventh grader).

Nonetheless, I love and admire the “birthday girl.” Unlike me, she’s a paragon of strength and virtue against physical pain. For example, recently she found a deer tick (read: Warning! Possible Lyme Disease) embedded on an inconvenient part of her anatomy. She’d managed to remove the tick but feared that a part was subcutaneous. She summoned me to remove the remains.

I felt faint at the sight of the needle she’d sterilized.

“I don’t want any of the tick left behind,” she said, no pun intended. “Dig it out the best you can.”

“You’re kidding!” I wanted to say but knew better than to utter such words of veiled cowardice. Over the past half year, I’ve had more needles stuck into my arms, butt, and stomach than there are ticks in the woods, and still I flinch, however kind, gentle, and expert the jabbers might be. Now there I was, wielder of a needle myself, about to disrupt the nerves of my beloved spouse, no less. Under the power of a magnifying glass, the needle became a sword, yet—as if descended from Joan d’Arc, Beth neither flinched nor fussed. I trained a flashlight on the tick bite and concluded that if any bug parts remained, deeper surgery would be required. I chose the wiser path and invoked the Hippocratic Oath.

This profile in courage—hers not mine—reminded me that my spouse is one strong woman. In our unsettled world, this irrepressible Joan d’Arc trait provides the inspiration to press ahead, making America greater than before.

Beth’s Facebook feed projects this strength and bravery. In celebration of her (big) birthday, she doesn’t seek (big) presents or testimonials or celebration beyond the cheers and warm wishes of our immediate family. Instead of expecting cake and confetti, she solicits contributions to Planned Parenthood.

Yes, it’s a big birthday, one abstractly remote when she was 30, or, dare I say, 60. But just as she braved a sword in my wavering hand, she’s not about to flinch about aging. She has strong and mighty roots. Through wind and storm, she exemplifies what makes our country great: like all her female forebears, she’s unswervingly honest, caring, thoughtful, and generous. With native smarts and a wealth of experience, Beth projects light and enlightenment across life’s shadows.

On her (big) birthday, may Beth d’Arc find renewal and bask in the promise of the many wonderful things that await her—for many healthy, happy years to come.

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© 2022 by Eric Nilsson