Post by Bob on Aug 23, 2021 7:29:35 GMT -5
On Saturday I celebrated my 44th anniversary with the woman I met when I was all of 18 years old. We were in our first few days of college, both of us very inexperienced with relationships, and here we were starting a new one with one another. Four years later she married me and here we are today, growing old together. Sometimes I worry about the years ahead, when one of us is gone. I try to reassure her that we now live in a community where folks really do rally around one another, but that's often a temporary situation. We spoke with a neighbor who lost her husband in tragic accident a few months ago. She still feels awkward about attending events where couples are present, even though the community came together to help her through this awful time.
But as much as I worry about "going first" and leaving my wife behind, I also have to look back at how far we've come. All that we've been through together, the joys and the disappointments that life throws at you. The stress of parenthood, the stress of family issues, jobs that seem to take all your energy, health scares (too many involving me in the past few years), etc. Somehow we've made it work. I like to think she's made me a better person, though I'm far from a finished product. I still find it hard to tell her when something worries me, because I'm afraid to make her worry. I know that if there's ever a time when I'm weighing whether to see the doctor, all I need do is mention it in passing and she'll make sure I make that appointment. Must be a part of that thing we call love and commitment. We are two totally different people, but we somehow make it work.
Just feeling reflective as I sit here with my 2nd cup of coffee on a foggy morning.
But as much as I worry about "going first" and leaving my wife behind, I also have to look back at how far we've come. All that we've been through together, the joys and the disappointments that life throws at you. The stress of parenthood, the stress of family issues, jobs that seem to take all your energy, health scares (too many involving me in the past few years), etc. Somehow we've made it work. I like to think she's made me a better person, though I'm far from a finished product. I still find it hard to tell her when something worries me, because I'm afraid to make her worry. I know that if there's ever a time when I'm weighing whether to see the doctor, all I need do is mention it in passing and she'll make sure I make that appointment. Must be a part of that thing we call love and commitment. We are two totally different people, but we somehow make it work.
Just feeling reflective as I sit here with my 2nd cup of coffee on a foggy morning.