Life Can Be Hard, Even When You're Happy
Gregg and I recently returned from Hawaii where we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. We spent 8 days and 7 nights in a tiny, efficiency cottage across from the beach - close enough to smell the salt-water breeze and hear the waves washing over the sand.
I planned this trip months ago and, in my mind, it became symbolic of a couple triumphing over a decade of marriage by spending a perfect week in the perfect place and having a perfect time. We’ve all seen that couple in our minds walking hand-in-hand along the beach into the sunset. I wanted that to be us... what could be more perfect? What would be more symbolic that we’d made it?
In reality, the trip ended up being less than perfect and when I returned home, I was in some ways disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, we did have some really fun times, but we bickered and argued also and, sometimes, over the stupidest things.
Was this all we had to celebrate after ten years of marriage?
Generally speaking, I think Gregg and I are happily married. We spend a lot of time together, support each other’s interests and still have an active and satisfying intimate life. We definitely have our cycles and over the nearly twelve years that we've been together, I've come to expect the ups and downs as they wash over us, back and forth, just like those waves on the beach next to our vacation cottage.
I just didn’t expect to be “down” on the one week I was striving for perfection. I chalked it up to “life’s hard, even when you’re happy” and I was thinking that I would really love a do-over.
But then I realized that every day is a chance for a do-over – a chance to live the way we want to. We just need to keep our eye on what’s important.
What’s important right now is that Gregg and I did make it ten years married. Yes, life can be hard (even when you’re happy), but it doesn’t mean you can’t stop for a moment, a day, a week, or a month and celebrate the accomplishments and failures we live. And isn’t that the point of this life – to simply live? Makes me think of God’s description of Himself – I AM. God didn’t say “I am big”, “I am infinite”, “I am important”, “I am perfect”… He simply said I AM. I think I can learn something from that.
Hawaii was beautiful and I’m glad Gregg and I went there for our anniversary – we made an event of it with the good and bad of each day. I’d say that’s the best and most honest description one can give of marriage.
And for me, ten years of marriage to a man I can still call my best friend (and could sometimes strangle) is reason enough to celebrate, even if our lives (and vacations) aren’t perfect.
-- Kristin
I planned this trip months ago and, in my mind, it became symbolic of a couple triumphing over a decade of marriage by spending a perfect week in the perfect place and having a perfect time. We’ve all seen that couple in our minds walking hand-in-hand along the beach into the sunset. I wanted that to be us... what could be more perfect? What would be more symbolic that we’d made it?
In reality, the trip ended up being less than perfect and when I returned home, I was in some ways disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, we did have some really fun times, but we bickered and argued also and, sometimes, over the stupidest things.
Was this all we had to celebrate after ten years of marriage?
Generally speaking, I think Gregg and I are happily married. We spend a lot of time together, support each other’s interests and still have an active and satisfying intimate life. We definitely have our cycles and over the nearly twelve years that we've been together, I've come to expect the ups and downs as they wash over us, back and forth, just like those waves on the beach next to our vacation cottage.
I just didn’t expect to be “down” on the one week I was striving for perfection. I chalked it up to “life’s hard, even when you’re happy” and I was thinking that I would really love a do-over.
But then I realized that every day is a chance for a do-over – a chance to live the way we want to. We just need to keep our eye on what’s important.
What’s important right now is that Gregg and I did make it ten years married. Yes, life can be hard (even when you’re happy), but it doesn’t mean you can’t stop for a moment, a day, a week, or a month and celebrate the accomplishments and failures we live. And isn’t that the point of this life – to simply live? Makes me think of God’s description of Himself – I AM. God didn’t say “I am big”, “I am infinite”, “I am important”, “I am perfect”… He simply said I AM. I think I can learn something from that.
Hawaii was beautiful and I’m glad Gregg and I went there for our anniversary – we made an event of it with the good and bad of each day. I’d say that’s the best and most honest description one can give of marriage.
And for me, ten years of marriage to a man I can still call my best friend (and could sometimes strangle) is reason enough to celebrate, even if our lives (and vacations) aren’t perfect.
-- Kristin
posted by Kristin at
3:25 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home