The Honey Phenomenon

This is another article I began writing in November. Here it is, finished and set to a November date.

There is this weird thing that happens when you get married. I've taken to calling it the honey phenomenon, and it's the fact that after some time of marriage, you begin to overextend names for your spouse to every other person you meet.

In my case, that name is "honey." Sometimes it's "sweetheart", but mostly it's "honey."

I don't know when Jack and I started calling each other "honey". It's just one of those things that happens through some sort of spousal situational osmosis. But I've been married since October, and during that time, I've called so many non-Jack people "honey."

I've called my mom "honey." I've called my sister "honey." I've called my friend "honey." I've called my brother "honey." I've called my dad "honey." I've called a randm salesperson at the pet store "honey," which in retrospect has probably been the worst of these. With my family members, they know that I'm married, that I've used the term mistakenly and automatically. With this salesperson, he had no context, he knew nothing else about me other than a) I was a total stranger and b) I had just called him "honey." He said "okay," and left before I could say anything else. I've probably become a story he's told at least one of his friends.

I hadn't anticipated this turn of events. It's been interesting, to say the least.

#marriage