Tuesday, September 19, 2017

A Blog Post for Dave

Dave and I were married 30 years ago today. I remember those first few anniversaries thinking, ho hum, I mean who can’t stick it out for 3, 4, 5 years? (Well, maybe Julia Roberts and Lyle Lovett, but that's old, old news.) Then came years 15, 16, 17 and I still couldn’t drum up any true enthusiasm for our ability to keep the love alive, even though we had. The 25th year? That was okay I guess, but it wasn’t until this 30-year mark that I said OKAY, WE HAVE ARRIVED.

At least it FEELS cool, and like a truly respectable anniversary year. I mean, we’ve now been married longer than we were single, so that’s something. And we both said we’d marry each other again if we had one of those "going back in time" experiences, so that’s good.

I could probably think of at least 30 reasons why it’s been a great 30 years of marriage, I mean if I put my mind to it. But in the interest of time and space, I’m going to limit myself to the just 10:

1. He brings water to me every single night to wash down my thyroid med.

2. He grows basil and makes pesto. (I don’t particularly care for pesto but my kids do, and I like the way it makes my kitchen smell.)

3. He picks our zucchini when it’s still smallish, even though he inexplicably prefers the giant kind.

4. He feels wasteful if he spends more than $10 on a tie, or $15 on a watch (and yes, you can tell).

5. He always wants to do the right thing (even when he doesn't).

6. He doesn’t care if I spend all day, every day in my quilt room, and a corollary: He doesn’t complain when I buy fabric even though I have more than I can possibly use in this lifetime.

8. He prefers black and white movies to all sporting events.

9. He plans trips and loves exploring the world as much as I do.

10. And finally, he loves me, this I know.

I can’t remember if I’ve ever dedicated an entire blog post to my dear husband, so that’s what this is. And it puts me in mind of an old song that goes a little like this (with apologies to Mr. John)...

It's a little bit funny, this feeling inside.
I'm not one of those who can easily hide.
I don't have much money but boy if I did,
I'd buy a big pumpkin patch where we both could live.

If I was a sculptor, but then again no,
Or a woman who makes potions in a traveling show,
Oh I know it's not much, but it's the best I can do,
My gift is this blog post,
And this one's for you.

And you can tell everybody this is your blog post,
It may be quite simple but now that it's done,
I hope you don't mind,
I hope you don't mind,
That I put down in words,
How wonderful life is while you're in the world.

 I didn’t sit on the roof, or kick off the moss (huh?),
And signing into my blog, well it got me quite cross.
But the sun's been quite kind,
While I wrote this blog post.
It's for a husband like you that,
I finally got the computer turned on.

And you can tell everybody this is your blog post,
It may be quite simple but
Now that it's done,
I hope you don't mind,
I hope you don't mind,
That I put down in words,
How wonderful life is while you're in the world.

And I mean that.