Ryan Reynolds Probably Picks His Nose

So The Man and I were talking the other day and I mentioned how he can't be very smart because he married me when I am so flawed, especially with a large nose.  He laughed at me and said, "when I hold you close I can't see your defects."  I didn't know whether I should be offended or love him even more for being so sweet, because The Man is super literal and really meant that when our faces are close together my face gets all blurry and he can't see my big nose.

Despite his true meaning though, his comment made me think.  If we keep someone close, there's less chance of noticing each other's defects.  What I can't decide is if that's a good thing or not (or even if it's true).

See, I was always warned by my mother to never live with friends.  She told me that the friendships I had would be ruined just by living in close proximity.  Which I totally get.  When you spend a majority of your time with someone, you start to realize that even Mother Teresa probably got annoying from time to time.  Maybe it was something she couldn't control, like her snoring, or maybe she really really hated washing dishes so she would just slip out of the house to go feed orphans or something while her roommates were stuck slaving away at the sink.  Who knows.  

What I mean to say is, nobody is perfect.  And the more time you spend with someone (or to stick with my prompt, the closer you hold them) the more you realize it.  Something incredible can come from realizing other people aren't perfect though; you're faced with a grave reality: you are not perfect.  When I first got to college, I thought the sun shone out of my butt.  Seriously.  I was some genius kid who started college at 16.  I could make a mean PB&J, and I even knew how to do laundry.  Mostly.  As I looked at the flaws my roommates had though, I realized how bad I am at getting the motivation to do laundry, or dishes, or at the time even get to class.  Being so close to other people let me see their defects, but it also helped me see my defects, and I grew from the experience.  So with that argument, holding someone closer makes their defects more vivid, but it helps you notice your own defects and change them.

However, there's always infatuation.  I don't necessarily mean romantic infatuation here; I think you can be infatuated with a new friend as well.  When you're infatuated, there's almost no way you can hold your new friend/lover/puppy closer.  And what's more, you won't allow yourself to see any defects.  It's adorable the way they tease other people about the way they dress/don't wear deodorant/lick your face after eating their own vomit.  Everything they do is perfect, and you don't deserve them because they're so amazing, and you're so lucky, and ohmygoodness can you think of a better friend/lover/puppy than they?

Is that healthy?

So ya, I guess The Man's statement "when I hold you close I can't see your defects" can be true, but I think it's better for your relationship to see each other's defects.  I'm not saying we should be constantly pointing out the flaws of our friends/lovers/puppies, but I think we should recognize that they have flaws, and love them for it.  I mean, who wants to constantly measure themselves against Adonis?