For the first ten years of our relationship, it wasn’t legal for Andy and I to be married in New York State, so we celebrated our anniversary using the day we met. For the most part, we’d been together since that fateful night, so it made sense, and July 23, 2000 has always felt like an auspicious date.
Cut to twenty two years later, wherein we celebrate another year together, and offer gratitude to not have to go through the last two-plus decades entirely on our own. We’re still very independent people, we’re still as different as we often appear to be, but in many ways we’re still as happily compatible and in love as we were on that day so many years ago. And Andy is still the one…
During our first months of dating, this trite Shania Twain song was finishing its epic run on the charts. I came to many songs late, taking my time to wrap my head around them and appreciating their melodies, so while the world had long since stopped listening to this one, I was just getting into it. I played it many times in the early days of dating Andy, wondering if one day I’d be able to play it and look back over the shared history of a life together. I almost didn’t dare to wish for it, but the heart knows what it wants.
These days there’s a security and warmth to our marriage, a reassuring camaraderie that has happily replaced the rollercoaster of passionate, obsessive love that was once a trademark of our romantic entanglements. We had those crazy days, and they served their purpose and provided many memories (perhaps a bit too much excitement!), and now we’re evolving into something deeper and quieter and better. As we ride into the latter half of our lives, we appreciate that a lot more.
Happy Anniversary, Andy. I love you.
