Happily Ever After

Cinderella was always my favorite fairy tale as a child.  As I fiddled through pages of my Disney Story books, I dreamed that one day, Prince Charming would come and sweep me off my feet, and I would live "happily ever after."  The End.

NOT!

Reality hits you after the first few months of marriage that  "Happily Ever After" is just a line in the story book that writers do not want to expound on. In real life, the phrase is such a complicated matter that would need volumes upon volumes to write about. The dynamics of a relationship changes not long after you exchange your  "I do's."  I've been married almost ten years, and there are plenty of times that I find myself holding on to my sacred vows, and reminding myself that this is not an easy ride into life.  

People are just different. People are imperfect. Imperfection is probably the one single most attribute that we humans have that is our own claim to perfection. We are perfectly imperfect.  Thus, there is no perfect marriage. Just solid ones. Perhaps at a time, it gets weakened by differences. Say, money problems, arguments, an unpleasant comment made publicly that unknowingly humiliates the other, or even something as simply as being over-tired.  But love does conquer all. And to win the battle, it is done by being armed with love and a mutual respect for each other.  When respect starts to wane, then trouble looms in the horizons. And perhaps love would be able to strengthen things up a bit to reconnect the bond of two souls who once vowed...."for richer or for poorer, in sickness or in health, 'til death do us part."

I can only sit here and say that being married is probably the second hardest experience I have ever dealt with in my life. (The first is being a "mom.")  But with any hard tasks, the rewards are great. Our Tenth Year Anniversary is fast approaching. Ten years ago, I would never have imagined that I would be in this place.  I am happy to say that I love my husband. Life's difficulties come more often than we want it to. But beside him, I feel that we can conquer anything.  Happily Ever After is not the end of our destination. It is our journey.