We have had 15 years together and shared 10 years of marriage. 20 added pounds, 1 first apartment, 3 houses turned homes, 7 vehicles with names and personalities, 4 dogs full of fur, frustration and too much fun to mention and 1 beautiful boy later, it is hard to put into words all of the significance that time together holds.
Marriage is way harder than I ever imagined. It is a good type of hard, though. It includes the type of hard work that is both challenging and rewarding, like teaching yourself a new skill or learning a new sport. After all the blood, sweat and tears, you finally feel fulfilled and accomplished only to realize there is more yet to learn; another level of expertise you must master before finding a few moments of contentment.
Time has a funny way of changing your perspective. What was important when we were first together now feels silly and perhaps even frivolous. A lot has changed. Priorities, bodies, perceptions, addresses, hobbies, habits, jobs, friends, tastes, facial hair and finances. Yet, there is only one thing that hasn’t, our connection. Call it love, call it camaraderie, attachment, devotion, fondness, affection, whatever.
We are magnets. At times, magnetism brings our opposite poles together so forcefully it is difficult to detach ourselves. We just fit. We are blinded by one another and operate as one. And of course, in true magnetic form, there are moments we are so repelled from one another it hurts. We dig in steadfastly and refuse to budge until the poles tilt ever so slightly and we are drawn together once again.
The life we have built: the home, the family, the everything, I wouldn’t change a single aspect of it, not even the biggest roadblocks we’ve encountered in the last decade. I wouldn’t change any of it because those roadblocks have helped shape this crazy world we have created. They’ve made us question whether we are worth it, and every single time we have made our decision. We are worth it.
A lot has happened throughout our 15 years together. Innumerable changes mark 10 years of marriage. Major things like having to say goodbye to our beloved pups Sawyer and Oliver or having a healthy baby boy Alden. Minor things like deciding what color to paint the trim or laughing about the southern accent Alden has because we would speak to him with a twang as a joke, not realizing it would stick. From the momentous to the mundane, it has all made an impression on me, and I adore it.
Cheers to the first decade of marriage and rounding the corner toward two decades of sticking together. You’re neat.
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