The Furniture Anniversary

Albatros67 via Pixabay

 On Sunday, my husband and I celebrated 29 years of marriage. 

I was going to say 29 years of wedded bliss but, if you've been married more than a decade yourself, you'd gag. And, if you didn't, I would.

Yeah, yeah, romance, blah, blah, blah.

Hey, there's a reason 29 years is the "furniture" anniversary. (No, I'm not making that up!)

All cynicism aside, one of the nice things about a wedding anniversary is that it can remind you why you chose each other in the first place. And, if you've been married as long as we have, it can also remind you why you chose each other again every day for 29 years, even when some of those days were a challenge.

Clearly, I am more pragmatic (some might say cynical) than romantic. 

I often write about my daughter in this space, but I rarely write about my husband (trust me, he prefers it that way). But 29 years of marriage and family deserves at least a blog post, so I decided to share 10 of the more mundane reasons why I love my husband. 

Why the mundane? I'm as much a romantic as the next person (maybe less -- see the opening paragraphs of this post) but, on a day-to-day basis, it's not usually the romance that sustains the relationship. Yes, it's important, but it's also private -- at least in my opinion. 

And that's part of what keeps it romantic.

So, if you were looking for flowers, chocolates, and a Hallmark movie plot line, I'm sorry to disappoint you. After decades of marriage, there are definitely days when the romance takes a beating, but there are  also reasons that doesn't matter, and here are a few of them.

1. He puts family first.
2. He's a good dad.
3. He has high standards (he married me, didn't he?)
4. He pitches in.
5. He cares about things that matter.
6. He doesn't complain (much).
7. He takes pride in our home.
8. He never does things halfway.
9. He supports my pursuits.
10. He's a good guy -- genuinely.

At our wedding reception, we had our first dance as husband and wife, but we also had a group dance of sorts with our theatre friends to a beautiful song from the musical Baby called "I Chose Right." In my mind's eye, I can still see that dance -- which probably looked silly to everyone else at the reception -- as we all sang along (loudly) to words that validated the choice Steve and I made that day. And now, 29 years later, the final line still rings true.

I look at you and I know I chose right.

Whadaya know. Maybe there's a little romantic left in me after all.