A few days ago marked 32 years of marriage for the wife and I. We have been a couple for about 35 years. Those years have not been a bed of roses though.
We endured many arguments, some out right yelling matches with each other. There were times that feelings got hurt and sometimes hurt to the bone.
I am not sure off the top of my head how many times the fmaily moved houses for one reason or the other. Mostly due to military commitments or requirements. Same can be said for my many absences, especially at the beginning of my time in the service.
There was financial woes as well, especially in the beginning. We barely had a pot to piss in. If it wasn't for the military provided housing, I'm not sure we could have even afforded to rent a place when we first got married due to the fact we were stationed in southern California.
However, we had something. I am not sure what it was, but I like to call it sticktuitiveness.
Not matter what, neither of us was willing to give up on the other or the marriage. We weren;t going to let external forces pry us apart. We made a commitment to each other and planned to keep it.
It was work!
It still is!
We haven't completely figured everything out, even to this day. But we understand each other better. We understand better the hills we are more willing to die on if you know what I mean.
Some things just aren't worth the breath used to argue over. However, there are some things you still have to stand your ground on, and ocassionally we have those moments. When we do, we have learned to take them seriously and talk them through. The former, we usually just let the other have their space and their way.
It may not work for others, but it has worked for us. I am sure it will continue to work for us for the coming years that we have remaining together.
I am not sure how many more we have together, but I do hope we continue honing our ability to understand each other even more as we grow older together.
Thanks for reading,
Joe
Notes:
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