Talking Works

I’m going to step way outside my comfort zone for a bit and talk about something deeply personal. My marriage. Kate and I are just months away from our 10 year anniversary. What’s more come November we will have been a couple in one form or fashion for 17 years. I still can’t wrap my head around that one because, honestly, where has the time gone? What’s sad about all that I just said is that somehow our society now looks at 10 years as some sort of accomplishment. While I don’t disagree that such a milestone should be properly celebrated (which I’m sure we will), I look at “MaDear and Papa”, my grandparent in Oklahoma City who have been together for over fifty years and can’t help but admire what that sort of long term commitment has taken. That’s a real accomplishment.

Today it seems that the perception of an anniversay is more in the sprit of “we’ve made it this long” instead of “we’ve loved each other this long”. I know, maybe I’m spliting hairs for some of you, but the distinction between those two statement is clearly one of the glass half-full or glass half-empty discussion. Because divorce is so prevalent we tend to look at anniversaries with more surprise than anything else.