What The Movie 'Outbreak' Has To Do With My Marriage

Evolutionary-wise, and on a purely chemical level, people have always sought out mates with very different immune systems than their own. The perceived benefit is that their offspring will take the good stuff from each parents' immune system, giving them wider coverage against the gamut of diseases, thus making them healthier and more likely to survive and continue reproducing. If that is the case, I've won the genetic jackpot. The Hubs could swim through a lake of parasite-contaminated water, get bit by a rabid raccoon, and then spend a fortnight sleeping outside in the cold, totally unprotected from the elements. And he wouldn't even sneeze. Me, however, he has affectionately dubbed his "little ebola monkey," because if there is a crazy sickness to be caught, I will surely catch it.

I try to live as healthfully as possible. I take my vitamins, I watch what I eat, I exercise (though not as much as I should). And I'm not allergic to any foods or medicines. I just seem to be allergic to everything in the natural environment: dust, dirt, pollen, pet hair, grass, the sun...yes, even the sun. I now get a bumpy itchy rash when I'm in the sun too long. As a result, I develop frequent sinus infections along with whatever cold or flu happens to be going around.

Having three pets--along with all the dust, dirt, pollen, and hair they come with--is not particularly helpful for my immune system. Our air filter probably clogged with gunk the first day we installed it. Keeping the house clean is a constant battle. And when school and work and life in general gets too busy, it becomes harder and harder to keep ahead of the dust and dirt.

And that's when our house starts attacking me.

And that's when my allergies go haywire and I get sick.

And that's when The Hubs stays home and spends 5 hours vacuuming and mopping and scrubbing and dusting and tidying to get the house as clean as possible so I can breathe a little easier. He even makes me dinner, and then tea, and then turns on the heated blanket so I can snuggle up and go to bed early.

I didn't just win the genetic jackpot with that one--I won every jackpot there is.