Is Russ the Real Jason Bourne?

You’d think after knowing someone for 46 years and being married to him for over 42 years, you’d know everything about a person but I’ve made a surprising discovery about Russ since we’ve been on the road.

The man notices EVERYTHING and is ready to deal with any situation that comes up. Remember the scene in the first Bourne movie where Bourne and Marie are sitting in the diner on their trip to Paris? Bourne has instinctively checked out all the cars in the parking lot, noticed the position and demeanor of every person in the diner, and has a plan to react to any situation. It suddenly dawned on me the other day that Russ is like a non-violent Jason Bourne.

I always knew Russ was observant about cars. He can tell you the model of a passing car at night just by the shape of the headlights. When our kids were teenagers they knew he'd  catch any their misadventures in the car by spotting every tiny change in its condition. (Indention on the headliner in the car? Oops, a skateboard mysteriously hit it.)

Russ explaining to our guide how the light bulbs in the lighthouse function

But what I’ve learned recently is just how much Russ sees: Small debris on the road. The tire alignment of the car/truck ahead of us. The growth pattern of the trees by the road. What kind of jet is flying overhead. How the lighthouse is constructed. Wear patterns on the floor of a building.  

And he doesn’t just see what’s around us—he also plans on how to react if there’s a glitch like that misaligned tire on the car ahead of us blows. Is there room on the shoulder to swerve onto? Oncoming cars potentially blocking the other lane? 

I almost gave Russ a heart attack when we were hiking on a hill overlooking a cove in Newfoundland. From his angle of view it looked like I was perched on the very edge of a sheer cliff above the rocky coast. Given my record of klutziness it seemed entirely possible that I could easily lose my balance and drop right off the edge. Luckily, the rock I was on was really back farther from the edge than it appeared and I was never in any danger. But before he knew that, Russ was mentally searching for ways to get me off that cliff without startling me into a fall. 

From this angle it looked like I was one bad move from a free-fall.

So now I know what it’s like to live with my own, personal Jason Bourne. (Plus, I know I’m biased but I think Russ is just as cute as Matt Damon.)