Time to Celebrate Marriage

As the years go by and I see another wedding anniversary pass, I can't help but think that the years are going pretty quickly, and that the couple in the wedding pictures look a little younger than they do in the mirror.  But that's ok because we've got time on our side, right?  I mean we've had time to travel, be together, compromise, fight, forgive, and love.  We've laughed and cried, been healthy and sick, acted like 21 year old youngsters (just with far worse hangovers), and acted like 80 year old retirees in our pajamas at 7:00 on a Friday night.  Time has been good to us, as it has been to many of the marriages that I see around me.  

So with all that time on our side, why is that my friends and I have been talking about marriage more than usual?  Although not as much about the great parts that used to consume our giddy conversations, but more about the challenging parts, the give and the take, and the parts that make marriage seem not so glamorous.  The parts that sometimes remind you that marriage will be work as time continues onward.

I'd be the first to admit that marriage is work.  Some days the work is easy and some days the work is hard.  Some days you feel like doing it and frankly, some days you don't.  Some days are full of joy and some days frustration.  I think that's a pretty honest opinion about marriage.  If someone says otherwise, then good for them, but most would probably agree with me.

So the question is why do you continue through life with the same person that you've promised to marry years ago if it can be so much "work?"  Sometimes, especially in today's world, the answer is you don't, and there are times that you shouldn't.  But for the many that continue down the  road of marriage (or who are currently choosing marriage), it seems this question has no generic answer.  Marriage is a choice.  A fun, fulfilling choice, but still something that you must decide you want to stick with and pursue.  It is different for every person and marriage.  What works for one, might not work for another. 

So even after all the work that marriage can be, sometimes it isn't work at all.  There are times when you and your partner are truly in-sync, times when you feel like you can conquer the world just by being together, and times when the beauty of marriage is overwhelming.  Those times solidify the choice you made and make you realize why you continue to do it day after day.  The love from marriage can truly sweep you off your feet, which is why you can continue when some days are a little harder than others.

 It confirms that even though it is work sometimes, most good things in life are.  Because if it wasn't work every now and then, would we truly appreciate and respect marriage for the gift that it should be? 

Unfamiliar to Beautiful

Five days a week,  9+ hours a day, we spend at our jobs. These jobs are things we have chosen as our passion, career, or way to make a living. Yet even though we chose these jobs, we inevitably go through good times and bad, times we love and times we don't.

This year is one of those times where I am often thinking,"There is nowhere I'd rather be than working with these people at this school."  When you are genuinely happy to see the people you work with everyday, when you learn from and listen to each other, and when you have each other's backs no matter what, you know you're in a good place. You're in a place where you are better at your job because of the people around you. A place where others support and build you up. You're in a place that makes you appreciate the responsibilities that you possess as a teacher. A place that feels like a family. 

I am in that place, and lucky for me this has been the case through ALL my years in the teaching profession. I've taught at two of the greatest schools with the neatest kids, coolest teachers, and best bosses.  I consider this to be some of my greatest opportunities and most enjoyable periods of my life thus far.  I'm so blessed that those unfamiliar faces from the early days have turned into beautiful friends who I truly respect, cherish, and love. 


That's a pretty great place to be. 

Appreciation

While using my time wisely last week and browsing Facebook, I read a status that said, "If you appreciate someone, tell them today. They might not be here tomorrow." I thought two things:  first, that is one of the most true statements I've ever heard and two, I guess I need to step up my Facebook statuses.  "Go Broncos!" doesn't seem to have such a motivational punch. :)  

So I started thinking about it and there are so many stories of gunshots, freak accidents, and sicknesses, that make it seem more true now than ever, that you have no idea when your time on Earth will be over.  So how are we showing appreciation to all those around us?  I feel like it's somewhat easy to show appreciation to a spouse or your parents or your best friends, because they are around more often in your daily lives (not saying we do it enough, but it's "easier.")  So I started thinking about the others that I'd show appreciation to and so many people started flooding my mind.  

What about the friends you've had for over 20 years who have seen you through many of life's ups and down, but that you don't talk to as much anymore?  How about your cousins who were your first friends and are always there to laugh about your family's disfunction?  Or the person who was the first to teach you what love feels like?  A coach or teacher who taught you lessons that you still use everyday?  Or a child who has taught you much more than they'd ever know? I know it made me sit back and think of all those people in my own life and how truly special they are to me.  Some I told, regrettably some I didn't.  

So here's the question, who are the people you appreciate and have you told them lately?  

Time

As I sat back and thought about the new year, I realized I needed a resolution.  A good resolution.  One that would actually inspire and change me.  As I thought, I stumbled upon an article that posed the idea of picking a single word for yourself for the year as your "resolution."  There were words like patience, kindness, grace, and so on.  This word, the article suggested, was supposed to mean something to you and obviously help you achieve different goals throughout the year.   

I liked this idea, but what word could I use that would mean something to me and help me enjoy this year?  I came up with the word "time," and it just seemed to work the more I thought about it.  

So in my 30th year of life, to celebrate all the time that has passed and the times yet to come, I'm focusing myself on the word "time."  Here are some of my ideas of how I am planning on using "time" this year.  I'm sure some will happen and some won't, just as I'm sure the word "time" will take on its own meaning in my life throughout the year.   

Time to try something new.
Time praying and growing closer to God.
Time to continue dating my husband.
Time spent with my girlfriends.
Time to laugh and act silly.
Time to reconnect with old friends.
Time to plant a garden in my new backyard.
Time to go on trips and travel to new places.
Time volunteering and giving back.
Time to actually be with my family.  
Time to think about the future.
Time to become a better teacher.
Time having long conversations on the phone with friends.
Time to send real mail!
Time to get to know my parents more while they are young and vibrant.  
Time to try a new form of exercise.
Time hanging out with my brother. 
Time putting down the cell phone and technology and look around at this beautiful world.
Time to take pictures. 

Time to blog (so I can actually realize and remember all the things that the year will bring.) 

Time to celebrate 30 great years that have shaped me into the person that I am today!

Here's to all the great things that "time" will bring.  :)