This was last year.
Today is our Anniversary. I’ve been married to my best friend for 9 years. So how does it feel to be married for that long, you might ask? They say it is like vintage wine, it gets better with time. Well, I’ve never tasted an expensive old fermented wine, but let me explain what 9 years of marriage feels like with some of these more common items.
9 years of marriage is like…
1. My well worn favourite jeans.
Yes, marriage is like that. Comfortable, stylish, totally wearable. Like my favourite pair of jeans, I am so comfortable in it I wanna wear it everywhere: the mall, the beach, work, weddings, etc. Putting them on makes me feel like home anywhere. It’s cool. But like my favourite pair of jeans, marriage also reminds me constantly of my ever-expanding waistline.
2. My coffee
Yes. Marriage is aromatic, strong, and pleasant to the nose. It keeps you awake and your heart rate up. Whenever I go on a date with my wife, like tonight, I feel like I’ve had way too much coffee. Jittery, excited, and wide-eyed. Sometimes it makes me pee a lot more too.
3. My favourite quilt.
Call it what you like: doona, duvet, blanket. I call it a warm hug. The best hug ever is a hug in the beauty of a marriage. It is warm, safe and heavenly. You could be totally yourself under the doona. Just like a safe marriage.
4. My alarm clock
Yup. It tells me when I should get up and face the day when all I want is to hide under the quilt/doona/duvet/blanket. Marriage teaches me the simple discipline of the routine of life. Marriage kicks my bums out of bed every morning and reminds me of my loving duty towards my family.
5. My eyeglasses
Without marriage, I won’t be able to see anything at all. Marriage keeps me in the right perspective and keeps me moving forward without bumping into things too much. Marriage also teaches me to see beauty all around. Marriage focuses what often looks blurry to me. Marriage helps me see where I am going.
6. My comic books
Marriage makes me feel like a superhero. I’m strong. I’m able. I’ve got superpowers. I’m ready to fight for her. I’m awesomely cool, even in Lycra tights. I’m the all powerful hero saving the damsel in distress, although in reality more often than not it is she, the Wonder Woman saving me from my own silly self.
7. A perfect Rhinoplasty
It’s a beautiful, meticulous act of dissection. It can get challenging at times. Some parts are easier, others harder. You have some basic tricks, but mostly make it up along the way. It’s a bit of science, but mostly art and imagination. But at the end of the day you smile and see the enhancement of what is beautiful. Marriage is an art. Marriage is perfection in the midst of change. Marriage is satisfying, gratifying, refreshing. It looks good.
8. Sunsets
That’s how beautiful it is. Marriage is full of warmth and colour. It is splendid in majesty. It is so good that I would never get tired of it. It is repetitively beautiful and enjoyable. I’ve enjoyed sunsets, but keep wanting more. Each day is a little different. Marriage is gloriously beautiful. Marriage is pictorial and very Instagrammable. And without sunsets, it gets pretty cold and dark quickly.
9. Corn and cheese
That’s right, 9 years of marriage is like corn and cheese because it can be corny and cheesy.
Like this.
I love you, my best friend. Congratulations on surviving me these 9 years.