Four years ago I married my husband, and it has been the best time of my life. Pictured are mini crochet versions of us that I made earlier this year.
Now it’s about to get cheesy, so grab your lactose pills.
The six years I’ve been with him are the happiest I’ve ever been. I didn’t know it was possible to love somebody this much. He’s the Sam to my Frodo. He makes me feel more like me.
To celebrate, here are the four best pieces of relationship advice I’ve ever received.
1. Marry your best friend.
2. It’s not you vs. them, it’s the two of you vs. the problem.
(Some examples of problems, from my personal experience, might be a smoke alarm on the fritz, a cat who swallowed 6 inches of fabric, a failed pasta salad, or chronic illness. Even if the problem lies with one person, such as with my Long Covid/anxiety/OCD/etc., it’s not Husband vs. Claire-and-her-Long Covid; it’s Husband-and-Claire vs. Claire’s-Long Covid. After all, we’re life partners. We solve problems together. There’s no need to keep track of who (me) put too much vinegar in the pasta salad.)
3. You and your partner cannot read each other’s minds, so don’t try. Just tell each other what you are thinking/feeling/expecting.
4. Take 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 and replace “love” with your partner’s name. If it’s still true, then you found a keeper. (I liked this so much that I asked our officiant to read this verse at our wedding.)
”Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” (NIV)
Aside from the first one, which is marriage-specific, all of this advice is applicable to any sort of relationship. What relationship advice would you give? I’d love to hear it!