Love and Marriage

So in order to stay as topical as possible I’ll throw my hat into the hubbub and hullabaloo regarding this celebrity couple that ended their marriage after only 72 days. I won’t use their name in this piece simply because I can’t spell it.  Actually I don’t want to spell it. I think if you do it becomes a gypsy curse and you start thinking you’re important without actually being important.  Cue the gypsy violins…

I haven’t had the best examples of a fully functional marriage. I’m a child of divorce. My parents were on the verge several times of murdering each other, I’m sure of it. But they stayed married for a lot longer than they really should have and when they finally called it kaput it was possibly the happiest day in my life. The stress and constant tension in the home was relieved and it seemed like having a life was a possibility.

When I was a teenager it seemed most of my friend’s parents were either not together or relatively indifferent to each other. I only saw one happy couple but their extreme happiness with each other made me very confused and afraid. Something in their smiles made me think they were each plotting the other’s untimely demise. I think they are still married however and likely just as happy with each other now as they were 20 years ago. Or still just biding their time.

A marriage after 72 days shouldn’t really be considered a marriage and if two people who thought they could make it work were wrong, well, I’m not going to fault them for it. They made a mistake and ended it before one of them wound up in some sort of international murder plot. The real slap in the face is the extreme extravagance of the actual wedding.  Most folks that are in love have to plan and save for a wedding at least a year in advance, and even then they barely break even once the actual day arrives. It’s stressful and an incredible hassle. But, as I’ve been told, it’s incredibly worth it when you see your betrothed coming down the aisle. The cost and expense melt away as you are enveloped in love and excitement.

This celebricouple however spent an incredible amount of money and in the end, for what? 72 days of uncomfortable stares and nervous giggles? It’s a real punch in the gut for the regular folks that are doing everything they can to save the money for just a plain white wedding dress and maybe a nice pizza place for the reception. It smacks of elitism and we hate that. Go ahead and have an expensive wedding if you like, but keep it out of the news and keep it to your family. I don’t consider it news or having any relevance on my daily life. In fact, I’m a little annoyed at myself for writing about it now.  

I hope to get married someday and experience the joy of a strong and honest partnership with someone I can look at in 60 years and still say, “I love you more today than on the day we married”. Then she’ll look at me; maybe take my hand and say, “What?”