Topic Number Six: Love and Marriage

*smooch!*

I am a lucky gal.  I know that for a fact.  I managed to find someone who is the yin to my yang, who supports and encourages me, who has patience beyond all imagination and who is truly an inspiration to be around.  All that being said, there was a time when I was known as saying "I'll never get married and I for sure will never have kids!"  Heh.

First lesson of marriage...never say never.  I've made a lot of proclamations in my day and saying "I will never get married" is just the tip of the iceberg.  I never thought I would be out of consumer debt - Dave and I will be out of consumer debt as of this month!  I never thought I would live anywhere other than a big city - ahem, hello Moose Jaw!  I never thought I would wind up with someone in the military - the Canadian Air Force is a great community of people and places to belong to.  Needless to say, I will now never say never.

Second lesson of marriage...it is work.  However, it is work that should be enjoyed.  Dave and I really like working on our marriage!  Whether it is Skyping every night across the distance or having those really hard conversations (ya know, the ones that are really intense and deep -- particularly after some disagreement of some sort) we truly value the other person and the work it takes for us to stay together.  And, when I say "value the other person," I mean everything about that person -- their quirks, their opinions and even the way they load the dishwasher.

On that note, the third lesson of marriage...dishes can tell you a lot about a person.  Supposedly the forks, knives and spoons get placed in the dishwasher handles down.  According to Dave.

I digress!

Fourth lesson of marriage...stay open to anything and everything.  If this adventure is teaching me anything, it is to expect the unexpected.  That being said, I think we enjoy that.  It's what makes us able to handle the military life the way we do.  It is what allows us to function (and function well!) in a long-distance marriage.  It is what allows us to see the world as one big playground that we can explore.  If we are open to ourselves and one another, we have the ability to see, hear and do things we never thought possible.

Fifth lesson of marriage...there are always more lessons!

To all the marriages, partnerships, relationships and friendships...may all the lessons be good ones!

Happy love, everyone!