Beyond spiders
In last Friday's post, I coined the word arachnaline and defined it as "a surge of boldness, bravery, and protectiveness a man experiences when his wife is scared by something that would usually freak him out, such as a big hairy spider." The phenomenon is not restricted to spiders, though, and kicks in with other creepy crawlies such as mice, snakes, and extravagantly pierced teenagers. Neither is it restricted to physical threats, but also applies to difficult life situations. In many of these cases, a wife can experience the arachnaline surge in response to attacks on her husband, and often both spouses feel its strengthening power and face up to a difficult time together, with mutual encouragement, hope, and prayer.
The presence or absence of arachnaline in many ways determines whether hardship brings spouses closer together or pushes them apart. And the best (worst?) thing about arachnaline is that it doesn't always happen automatically. In fact, it is a choice. And the choice to stand together is what makes a couple feel like they've been together since yesterever.
