When as a young girl I daydreamed about my husband-to-be, I imagined our marriage would be all flowers and romance, holding hands as we strolled along the beach, breaking into a spontaneous dance number when the mood struck us. I never thought we would spend our evenings washing dishes, doing laundry, lying in bed watching Nova, or baking a raspberry white chocolate cheesecake together. That's what we did tonight--we baked a cheesecake. And it was way more fun than any walk on the beach (especially considering it's February and the beach is more like a skating rink!)
What I didn't realize before I was married was how much joy I could find in doing the simple everyday tasks with the person I love most in the world. I have a wonderful memory of my grandparents standing side by side at the sink after every meal, my grandma washing dishes and my grandpa drying. Even after my grandma started to develop dementia, she and my grandpa still stood at the sink together performing their 50-year-old ritual. Now that I've stood next to the sink with my husband, I can fill in the blanks; I can imagine my grandparents chatting about their day, laughing together, reflecting together. And at the same time, the dishes got done.
"Date nights" for Kev and me often consist of running some sort of errand and then trying a new Chinese restaurant for dinner. Sometimes we drop off a load of stuff at the Goodwill or take our hazardous materials to the recycling center. Not very romantic by most people's standards, I suppose, but the whole time we're in the car together, we talk. There's no elaborate planning or high price tag involved. There's just the simple realization that we're accomplishing something together and enjoying one another's company as we share a plate of wontons and crack open our fortune cookies.
My fortune? You will find happiness with the one you love, no matter what you're doing. There's a lot to be said for the simple things.
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