It's Not About the Milk

“Could you please pick up a gallon of milk? We’re out,” I texted my husband this evening after staying late lesson planning at school.

He responded almost instantly with a thumbs up. I released a sigh of relief. That was one thing I could remove from my list of obligations that awaited me after working a long day. It was 4:30 pm and I still had a minimum of 90 minutes of stop-and go Northern Virginia rush hour traffic to fight through in order to get home, and then make dinner, etc., etc. At least I didn’t have to pick up milk.

My husband is the best.

Now, you might be thinking, “All he’s doing is dropping by the store to get some milk. What’s the big deal?”

Please allow me to explain: it’s not about the milk.

Of course I certainly appreciate that he’s willing to unexpectedly run an errand for me that he hadn’t planned on. He had things he needed to take care of after working all day, too. But his immediate willingness to take on that one small task made my life just a little bit easier today. But it’s more than that. By agreeing to pick up milk, no questions asked, what he was really saying is so much more. Without any words at all, he was communicating:

I love you.

You matter to me.

Your time is valuable.

I value your emotional well-being.

You do so much for me, I am happy to do this for you.

You can rely on me.

I am here to support you.

We are a team.

Sometimes a simple favor can speak volumes more than appears on the surface.

What little thing has someone done for you in your life that, when you reflect, you realize, “It’s not about the milk”?