It was less than 24 hours after the wedding, that I thought to myself that I had possibly made the biggest mistake of my life. Everything had gone so well, with minor bumps, throughout our courtship and wedding. Now here, on Sunday, I was sitting there with regrets.
It had all started that I was fully packed to Boston the next day. Meanwhile, Susan had not packed, it was getting late, and she was resting on the couch. I don't know why it bugged me so, but it did. I figured that she would not be ready on time, and she didn't seem too inclined to get ready on time. It seemed like we were working on different schedules and priorities. The thought crossed my mind was this how it was always going to be? Were we going to rub each other the wrong way always? How were we going to make this work? Did we overlook a lot of things on the race to the altar?
These were the thoughts racing through my mind. This was "till death do we part"? We were now living together and I was going to have to adjust accordingly. Marriage sounded really good on paper, but now we were dealing with the practical application now. At that moment, I had a feeling living under the same roof was going to end in misery (or at least minor discomfort).
Now, I am not saying before marriage that you should live together. That route leads to many temptations and problems. Living together brings many adjustments and changes to one's life.
Nonetheless, Susan was able to get packed and we did get to our flight to Boston on time. I had never been there before and had always wanted to. I don't do well in the sun or heat - so going to the beaches or a cruise was out. I'd have turned an unhealthy shade of red and would spend most of my time in an air conditioned hotel room. The honeymoon would give me time to see if and how we would co-exist as a couple and the many things that come with marriage.
We got to Boston, and toured the campus of Harvard. After taking it all in, I suddenly felt not so smart anymore. Even the little kids visiting seemed smarter than me (just kidding). But, it was an amazing campus to tour.
The city of Boston is filled with so much history. I had always wanted to be a history major in college, but didn't feel I could make a career of it. We visited Fenway Park (although we couldn't tour due to reservations). We got to see Boston Harbor and the Charles River (in fact we were in those bodies of water thanks to a water taxi and a duck tour). We took a freedom trail walk, seeing famous buildings and the gravesites of Paul Revere and John Hancock. Funny story about Paul Revere. One, he's buried in a different spot from his monument. Also, he is only really famous because of a poem. The story goes was that the poet was trying to date Paul Revere's granddaughter or great-granddaughter and thus wrote "The Ride of Paul Revere" to impress her. I am not sure if he did or not ultimately. We even visited the bar, Cheers while on our journey.
There was so much to see there, and we do want to go back again some day. We also started to learn how to live together on the honeymoon. There are obviously different things that we had to learn.
The first was sleeping in the same bed together. The first or second night we were sleeping, I violently turned and rolled in the bed. My elbow came straight down into the small of Susan's back. I heard her say "oof" and I did the right thing. I immediately rolled back over pretending I was asleep saying to myself "please think I'm sleeping". Later at some point when we were hope I accidentally headbutted her in the face with the back of my head. (Obviously sleeping with me is dangerous).
The honeymoon turned out fantastic. Boston was a wonderful city to visit. We were in two different hotels, one that overlooked Boston Harbor. We partook of the local cuisine. I tried Yankee Pot Roast and New England Clam Chowder. To be fair, I don't know what the big deal is with clam chowder. Maybe, its just me.
The most important part of the trip was realizing that I would survive being a husband and living together would work. My initial fears and anger had subsided as we enjoyed the honeymoon. We were going to make it because we loved each other and we were committed to making it work. Keeping the lines of communication open and being aware of each other's moods also helped. After that initial 24 hours, that thought of regret has never come back.
Since then, we have had our ups and downs. However, I have never once thought our marriage was a mistake. Marriage takes work, and that work doesn't end with the "I Do's". Nothing worth keeping and fighting for is easy at all times. But the rewards have been too numerous to count. I write this over 5 years later, and don't remember what life was like before we met. I do know, that we have each other, we pray for each other, and we fight for each other. I am living my "Happily Ever After" every day and look forward to each day together to come.
It had all started that I was fully packed to Boston the next day. Meanwhile, Susan had not packed, it was getting late, and she was resting on the couch. I don't know why it bugged me so, but it did. I figured that she would not be ready on time, and she didn't seem too inclined to get ready on time. It seemed like we were working on different schedules and priorities. The thought crossed my mind was this how it was always going to be? Were we going to rub each other the wrong way always? How were we going to make this work? Did we overlook a lot of things on the race to the altar?
These were the thoughts racing through my mind. This was "till death do we part"? We were now living together and I was going to have to adjust accordingly. Marriage sounded really good on paper, but now we were dealing with the practical application now. At that moment, I had a feeling living under the same roof was going to end in misery (or at least minor discomfort).
Now, I am not saying before marriage that you should live together. That route leads to many temptations and problems. Living together brings many adjustments and changes to one's life.
Nonetheless, Susan was able to get packed and we did get to our flight to Boston on time. I had never been there before and had always wanted to. I don't do well in the sun or heat - so going to the beaches or a cruise was out. I'd have turned an unhealthy shade of red and would spend most of my time in an air conditioned hotel room. The honeymoon would give me time to see if and how we would co-exist as a couple and the many things that come with marriage.
We got to Boston, and toured the campus of Harvard. After taking it all in, I suddenly felt not so smart anymore. Even the little kids visiting seemed smarter than me (just kidding). But, it was an amazing campus to tour.
The city of Boston is filled with so much history. I had always wanted to be a history major in college, but didn't feel I could make a career of it. We visited Fenway Park (although we couldn't tour due to reservations). We got to see Boston Harbor and the Charles River (in fact we were in those bodies of water thanks to a water taxi and a duck tour). We took a freedom trail walk, seeing famous buildings and the gravesites of Paul Revere and John Hancock. Funny story about Paul Revere. One, he's buried in a different spot from his monument. Also, he is only really famous because of a poem. The story goes was that the poet was trying to date Paul Revere's granddaughter or great-granddaughter and thus wrote "The Ride of Paul Revere" to impress her. I am not sure if he did or not ultimately. We even visited the bar, Cheers while on our journey.
There was so much to see there, and we do want to go back again some day. We also started to learn how to live together on the honeymoon. There are obviously different things that we had to learn.
The first was sleeping in the same bed together. The first or second night we were sleeping, I violently turned and rolled in the bed. My elbow came straight down into the small of Susan's back. I heard her say "oof" and I did the right thing. I immediately rolled back over pretending I was asleep saying to myself "please think I'm sleeping". Later at some point when we were hope I accidentally headbutted her in the face with the back of my head. (Obviously sleeping with me is dangerous).
The honeymoon turned out fantastic. Boston was a wonderful city to visit. We were in two different hotels, one that overlooked Boston Harbor. We partook of the local cuisine. I tried Yankee Pot Roast and New England Clam Chowder. To be fair, I don't know what the big deal is with clam chowder. Maybe, its just me.
The most important part of the trip was realizing that I would survive being a husband and living together would work. My initial fears and anger had subsided as we enjoyed the honeymoon. We were going to make it because we loved each other and we were committed to making it work. Keeping the lines of communication open and being aware of each other's moods also helped. After that initial 24 hours, that thought of regret has never come back.
Since then, we have had our ups and downs. However, I have never once thought our marriage was a mistake. Marriage takes work, and that work doesn't end with the "I Do's". Nothing worth keeping and fighting for is easy at all times. But the rewards have been too numerous to count. I write this over 5 years later, and don't remember what life was like before we met. I do know, that we have each other, we pray for each other, and we fight for each other. I am living my "Happily Ever After" every day and look forward to each day together to come.
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