Marriage. Done it twice. What wisdom did I gain from twenty-three years of devotion to that institution?
- No two marriages are alike.
In my first marriage I was held as an organizing genius. I had my stuff together and he admired that.
Second marriage I was considered an organizational nightmare. Even though by that time I had already spent hours with professional organizers and actually had files in filing cabinets I was still dubbed—a mess.
- Your partner is your best friend and will be there for you through thick and thin, until he/she decides not to, then your partner becomes your worst enemy.
- Other truth: some people have more skills at being your worst enemy and making your life miserable than others.
- Men do not understand the importance of draperies.
- Children complicate things. They have a way of shining a spotlight on differences that you would have never known were there without them.
- When other people can’t understand why the two of you are together, there might be a real good reason for their confusion.
- Do not share checkbooks. Keep your money separate. Co-mingling funds is a bad, bad idea, but lawyers love it if you do.
- Make sure you really like your wedding ring if you plan on staying married for awhile.
- Girls’ night out is critical.
- Everyone has different expectations of what marriage looks like, and what purpose it serves.
- It is not uncommon to wake-up one day and realize the person next to you is a complete stranger.
