A perfect pear…er, pair
THIS PAST week Bill and I celebrated our wedding anniversary. I say celebrated but really that is a bit of an overstatement. Yes, we did partake in an activity that is a common occurrence when celebrating an anniversary (and it was epic) but that’s about the extent of it. Actually, midday Bill called me to wish me a happy anniversary which I had completely forgotten and then asked me to go out and buy myself some flowers. When I told the florist it was my anniversary and I was buying myself flowers she said ‘Shouldn’t your husband be buying you the flowers?’. When I explained the situation she was delighted that he felt comfortable asking me to buy myself flowers and I wasn’t pouting about it. She happily concluded that we must be a perfect pair and indeed we are. Although, there was a time when I wasn’t so sure.
I remember when we were first married we hung out with other newly married couples. I remember watching them interact and being irritated that my husband wasn’t like that and asking Bill why he didn’t treat me the same way as these other husbands treated their wives? But Bill challenged me and asked if I really would want that? And the answer was no. While it was right for them it wasn’t right for us. I deduced there is no perfect husband or perfect wife but a couple can be a perfect pair, a match of complimentary people.
And yes, I think Bill and I are a perfect pair, a great match…even if I forgot our anniversary. We have traits, characteristics and personalities that complement one another. Through the years we have taken the time to figure one another out and understand and accept each other and realize that neither one of us is a mind-reader. We try not to have unrealistic expectations and if we have expectations we share what they are without being demanding or nagging. We communicate openly, we encourage and support one another, we are honest and patient, we have fun, we share interests, and workloads, and laughs and 5 kids and we take the time to spend quality time together. And even though he drives me crazy at times he is the father of my children, my husband, my best friend and the love of my life.
As party favors for our wedding we placed a pear at each place setting which had a tag attached to the stem that read, ‘A perfect Pair’ Bill & Helinda July 25th, 1997. Becoming a perfect pair is something that has developed over the last 16 years and I am more in love with him today than I was when we got married. A perfect pair indeed!