My Happy Marriage That Surely Will Not Last
Of all the punch lines I never planned on, this must surely be it.
Somehow, I, out of all people, wake up today on the third anniversary of being married to a perfectly imperfect man.
A man with more quirks than a roomful of brilliant physicists.
After all, what could be quirkier than a man who loves me and treats me with such kindness and respect?
Yeah, me.
The forever-single gal who must’ve dated every non-commital man in America.
Yeah, me, who was a bridesmaid so many times I finally had to retire.
That fifth peach-colored dress did me in.
Yeah, me who has been a third wheel so many times I could open my own tire store.
Yeah, me, who looks around and sees so many of my long-married friends going through divorces or seemingly stuck in unhappy marriages and relationships.
I’m the one with the great guy?
As I cue the laugh track, I’m in no way being cocky, just clear.
I now know that all those break-ups, heartaches, lonely times were not my ending.
Just like I know my marriage to my wonderfully imperfect man is not my happy ending.
It is simply my right now.
Now is pretty great.
Gotta say.
And,
Now can end at any moment.
I know my happy marriage surely will not last.
It will end, just as everything ends, as in the natural order of things.
Gotta always remember that.
We are not a perfect couple.
There’s that.
We can stumble, as others have.
One of us can get sick.
One will most probably die before the other.
Skip the stupid “Life, spouse, kid, job is perfect” posts on social media.
Instead, read the folks keeping it real.
You’ll see that stuff happens.
I share today, on our third wedding anniversary, to say to my perfectly imperfect husband, “Thank you for our now. You sure took a long time to get here. And boy, were you worth waiting for.”
And, to you.
You, who is reading this waiting for your better now.
Good gosh, it can happen.
If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.
If I had the magic formula how, I’d be sharing that, making a billion bucks.
What I can tell you, what I promise, as you wait, this is not the end of your story.
It’s simply your now.
And when that better one arrives, you better cherish it, appreciate it, and love it for the better now it surely will be, for however long it lasts.
Happy Third Anniversary, Husband. Looking forward to every single day we are lucky enough to have now.
