My wife and I have been to three weddings already this year and are on the way to a fourth this weekend. Perhaps the reason why we keep getting invited is because of our marriage karma; LOL.
Seriously though, I was only 21 years old when my darling and I decided to tie the knot and an overwhelming majority of people around us, even my most cherished family members, tried to deter me from going through with it.
Statistically, there was no shortage of reasons why it was not supposed to work:
- You're too young!
- You haven't been around the world yet!
- You need to finish school!
- You're not financially ready!
- You're not mature enough!
- You haven't sowed your wild oats!
- You don’t know what love is!
The truth is all these facts were true at the time but the real interesting thing is that not a single one of them became a barrier to a successful marriage. I'm not saying that some of those truths didn't make building a solid marriage challenging, I'm just saying that none of them, or in fact any combination of them, we're formidable enough to prevent out marriage from succeeding.
For me, I took my vows seriously; for better, for worse, forever, as long as we both shall live meant - and still means - exactly that. Even though I had no clue whatsoever how things were going to work out, I had faith, even at that age, that God would make a way. There were days when my wife and I were relationally in different universes because of pride, arrogance, selfishness, stress, immaturity, and the like, but because we made a vow (of man and wife, forever, for life – Too Hot – Kool and the Gang), a covenant, we dug in deep and found the fortitude, the commitment, the gall, to
fight through the dark days and nights. And here we are, thirty-one years later, happily married and still defying the odds.
Here are a few tips that I hope will help you to sustainyo ur marriage:
- Learn to love pride soups- There is nothing worse for a relationship than too much
pride. Be humble and leave pride to fools; and since you are not a fool, that should be easy. - Turn your sensitivity meter down - So what if she farts in the middle of a serious
conversation. It's just a fart man, just
deal with it. - Say yes dear and mean it - There is an old saying that if momma ain’t happy, nobody’s happy. An unhappy wife or mother makes for a very hostile household. Figure out what it takes to make her happy.
- Find common ground - I've seen too many married couples stay married just because. They have absolutely nothing incommon and do very little together. In marriage you absolutely have to find things that you enjoy together. That's what friends do right? They spend time together. Spouses should, at least, be very good friends.
- Travel together - One of the most amazing things about traveling, aside from the memories you make, is the opportunity to discover new things and share new experiences. In the process you'll discover new things about each other too and new discoveries always lead to new excitements.
- Put the toilet seat down – Nothing upsets a woman more than going to use the toilet and finding her hind quarters acquainted with cold porcelain in the wee hours of the morning;
- Plus, no real man wants his woman to come back to bed with porcelain infused pee all over her hinny. Not sexy.
What are your tips for staying married and living happily ever after?
