As humans, we seem to have fallen in love with love. I get it, I think love is great. I happen to love love myself. The problem is, people think that falling in love will complete them or fix their life. Visions of roses and candies and the perfect wedding day dance through our heads. Many women begin planning their wedding day as little girls, and see it as the highlight of their life. (I suppose that would explain why some ladies turn into bridezillas. If I had grown up believing my wedding day would be the pinnacle of my life, I would be a bit angry too if it didn't meet all of my exacting expectations.) Things can get messy if you think one romantic day will guarantee a successful life together. The first question everyone asked us after we got married was, "Is it everything you dreamed it would be and more?" Well, actually, no. It definitely has been "more", though.
Don't get me wrong, I love being married. I think it's pretty fantastic, actually. But anyone who thinks getting married means it's all happily ever after is, unfortunately, quite mistaken. We've fought more after getting married than we did before. We're learning to compromise, to disagree and to forgive. We're also learning to laugh more, to love each other better and to have fun.
Culture tries to tell us that romantic love, feelings of butterflies and excitement, is what drives real love and makes marriages work. Romantic love is definitely a needed facet of love. But that's not the whole story. And, good news for my currently single friends, it's not even the most important kind of love. Jess taking care of me when I'm sick means more than a fancy dinner once a year. And that's the kind of love we can show to anyone. (However, you might want to be careful with who you pick to show it to. Especially my tiny friends, you're much easier to kidnap. Trust me, I'd know.)
As for today, I think I'll pick up a few extra bouquets for some friends. Who said you need to be in a relationship to get flowers?
No comments:
Post a Comment