On the eve of our 15th anniversary, Josh and I were sleeping in sleeping bags on a bed that had no sheets, downloading “dog calming music” (seriously, there is such a thing), and trying not to wake the 2 year old tossing and turning in the bed next to ours. Not quite as romantic as the night before our wedding when we slept out under the stars on lounge chairs next to my parents’ pool, whispering late into the night.
But, as much as things change there are things that stay the same. Like the headache that I had both nights. Oh, you thought I was going to say “our deep love for each other”? Yeah, probably that too, although that has changed over the past 15 years. Newlywed love is surprise phone calls and flowers — 15 year love is not waking me up in the morning when he leaves for work and snuggling with the kids on his side of the bed when they get up in the night. 30 year love will probably be when he buys batteries for my hearing aids and pretends not to notice the deep frown lines on my forehead in-between my eyes (he already does that, thankfully).
As far as anniversaries go, this one isn’t too bad. We’re both exhausted and feel unsettled, but at least it’s not the year that Josh had to have back surgery while I was off my rocker and trying to take care of 3 babies 5 and under. Tonight, if we’re lucky, the kids will go to bed before 10, the dog calming music will take effect and he’ll settle down in his crate, and we’ll watch something mindless on Netflix and eat ice cream together.
It’s enough. More than enough.
