Marriage is like a pair of well worn old shoes.

Marriage not only breeds love and understanding but also a sense of comfort, grace and style…and in general an overall good fit….just like an old favorite pair of shoes.

It matters not who is the left or the right shoe, the point is that it takes both to be comfortable.
In marriage, a man and a woman are like that comfortable pair of shoes that went from being new in the box to the best of times and on through to the worst of times where the heels are run over. They’ve been tested by time itself.

When first married, you were like that perfect fit in the box…the box being life…and it was and is as natural as the box itself. It didn’t matter the square corners or having a lid or all that”stuffing” that that came with the box. The corners were guide post from where you started your foundation in marriage. The lid is the security that covered you and protected you. The stuffing would be all the things that would happen to you inside that box (life).
The box itself gets shipped to a new store and placed on a shelf waiting for the likes of someone like us and our lovely mates.

Now….what shoes are good? That my friend is yet another blog.
I’m talking fit here. The hand that has been dealt me for the past 30 plus years of being in the same old box!

When the box was new (remember the box is your married life), your were on the shelf just like everybody else..rows and rows and rows of other couples in the same box as you. You were no different that all the rest. Sort of (pardon the pun) on the same footing.
The thing that makes marriage comfortable is that new shoe smell…you know like the basic liking and buying of a new car because of the smell… it just makes you feel good.

Ha Ha Ha….just thought of something. These days you can buy that new car smell in a bottle and spray it on your old cushy seats at anytime. Or you can take out a new model for a test drive whenever you have that urge or desire…like I’ve said before…another topic for yet another blog.

But I digress…
We are talking broken- in comfortable shoes here…and the things that made them that way. They were snug yet secure and roomy. They were casual yet dressy and elegant. They were stylish yet practical and down to earth.
They’ve taken me to places, situations and events that helped shape the romantic background that has led me to my 30 plus years towards forever.

I remember on many an occasion being in the middle of several events whereby newlyweds as well as those well advanced past the 30 plus years… both looking to me for the answer to the riddle of life at that moment in time…”what’s in store for us along the way”… and “what did we miss along the way”.

Remember marriage is not about having the answers…marriage is about discovering the answers!
Now just how does one go about doing that…well…that’s life.

You start our being molded, shaped, cut, sewn and polished to be matched with one another to be put together on the shelf of life …and to live that life as a perfect and comfortable fit.
You never forget the old shoes.

They made you sing a little louder, step a little livelier, dance a little longer.

That’s what married life is all about…the little “long-ers” with one another.

A little pep in your step, a little pride in your glide.

You Idiot!

Aaahhh…Terms of Endearment in a good marriage.

One would immediately think…Honey, Sweetie, Darling, my Little Cup-cake, Snookie Wookie…etc would counter any marriage and problems.

But in the real world of married life…you’re lucky if you get a nice term like Bucket head, Numskull or the all time favorite…You Idiot!
Now understand, when she says…you’re an idiot…that means at least she’s still talking to you.

You haven’t been totally dismissed…kinda like that great Southern term of endearment…”Bless His Heart”. She feels your pain and in general knows that you can’t help yourself. That my friend comes under the heading of what marriage is.

In an effort to help you, she understands that you need some very special treatment.

Be very very aware of the pot roast and mashed potato or the steak and fries without a salad application!
Anytime you sit down to your favorite meal for no apparent reason….you’ve done something wrong, but not so serious as to require or deserve a scolding. It’s more of you …forgot to do something …and this is your second chance to make it better when you do get around to remembering to do it…(with the proper prompting of course).

Now if it’s a really special meal…well….you’ve done something very very right. Hide your wallet! You should remember that little trick from your handy dandy book on dating advice.

Three good names in a row in a conversation is the ultimate warning sign that life is about to get real good … for at least a 24 hour period.

If the three names are some of the mushy ones that were bantered about during the courtship phase of your chance encounter…well…what can I say.

What you may not be aware of is that these names (terms of endearment) like a lot of the other good things about your long term relationship, were “stored” in her bag of …”for just such occasions as this”.

Ohhhhhh you’d be surprised at the things that are stored in that bag.
Kind of like when you were a kid and a parent called you by all of your given names plus the family name. It was something either very good or wickedly bad.

One would think that at some point in the 30 plus year reign of married life…it would even out, that you would come to understand how her mind works….and likewise to her…how yours works…oh wait…remember Sweetie…you don’t have a mind…(under her breath)…You Idiot!!!!

-Lon-