On My Mind: Ringing in the Groundhog and Another Year of Marital Bliss

On Groundhog’s Day, Bob and I celebrated 18 (yes, indeedy) years of marital bliss.  Ok, to be honest with you, not all of those eighteen years have been blissful.  In fact, for a whole bunch of them, I wanted to strangle him but was able to keep myself in control.  I don’t think he had the same feelings… how could he?

Anyway… I was forty-three when we got married – not exactly a spring chicken.  I had spent my life being single – which for me meant I was working way too many hours each week, collapsing from exhaustion on weekends, traveling too much, dating way too many bad boys who were more commitment phobic than I was, and basically, not living what I would consider a “balanced and fulfilling” life.  I was making good money and was able to travel and go shopping – which can be real good.  However, there was a part of me that was missing having a healthy relationship.

So, when I was sent to Baltimore for several months to do some work, who on earth would have known (not me) that I would end up meeting the man I am now married to?  Who knew on that January evening when I went to check my mail that I would literally bump into my future husband?  Who knew that he would even be interested – especially when he met me for the first time sans make-up and in sweats?  Who knew that after I moved to Charlotte that we would get together just about every weekend for the next year+?  Who knew when we went to New York for the weekend and he talked a whole bunch of Japanese tourists into holding up a banner at the top of the Empire State Building saying, “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”... I would say YES!

I didn’t.  But, it’s one of the best decisions I ever made.  So, we got married on Groundhog’s Day in ’95 – we picked that day because it wasn’t a cliche like Valentine’s Day.  And, you know what’s great? We get to celebrate love twice in the month of February – which is usually a pretty boring month.

Twenty years ago, I thought I would never get married.  I wasn’t looking and I really didn’t care – I had other “stuff” going on in my life.  What it proves to me is that even after all of our planning for life… we never really know how things will turn out.  And, if we are open and ready to receive – even when “it” doesn’t seem to fit with the plan we expected -  the most wonderful things can happen.

Taught me a lesson.