10 years of us..and counting!

Day100..#100daysofhappiness #100happydays

There is an unseen pressure in putting my words for this day 100. Apart from the fact that it’s a milestone and a conclusion to my 100 happy days journey, it also marks a significant moment in my ‘happily ever after’ story! It’s our 10th wedding anniversary today and I am elated and grateful!

Initially I thought it would be lovely to get married once again but then I realized we have exchanged our vows for a lifetime, so do we really need a reminder? Didn’t seem like it after having reflected on the decade gone by. Like every perfect marriage, we are just two imperfect people who refuse to give up on each other. So while most love stories are beautiful, ours is always my favorite! I read this line “Marriage is when a man looses his bachelor’s degree and a woman gets her master’s degree” and though cited in humor, I was forced to introspect if this was our picture too, then realized that ours is a friendship of equals and a partnership of love, so no one loses a degree, our strengths help us both gain. We have loved, cared, shared, cried, and laughed, fought, complained, obligated, reasoned, accepted, supported and so much more. We have memories that keep us real yet have us smiling with our hearts. We have dreams that keep us working for more. We may disagree on matters but we know what it means to come half way and sometimes more! We support each other on our parenting styles..With Hitler shifting roles! We are willing to smile in the name of obligations that take time to settle in our individual belief system. We don’t count our victories, instead we count our blessings. If there is calm, there is also excitement. If there is gratefulness there is also celebration.

It’s been a testing journey not as a relationship but from life and its unpredictability.  Not to sound like a mood dampener but after being under a medical trauma, every waking day is a gift to be grateful about irrespective of any limitations. This is perhaps the reason, over the years my prayers have changed from an ambitious career to being there for my family. So even when there are new challenges I am not angered any more, I am just more embracing. While it’s been nerve wrecking for me, I have seen family come together like no other and be the pillar that very few are blessed to have. At a time when I was at my worst, I have seen them smile, cry, be courageous, work hard at being optimistic, combine duty with love and are willing to do ‘just about anything’ to be my hope! We have children who teach me everyday the value of innocence, unconditional love and living the moment. We are their parents and perhaps not perfect, but we have the willingness to make the mistakes and correct them too. We have a style of parenting that brings a parent and friend on the same platter and that’s what makes our relationship precious. So when you actually land a milestone like your 10th wedding anniversary, all you want to say is a big thank you with all my love.

Celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary means remembering the years gone by, making us stronger as a family. This marriage began with a celebration of grandeur that mum planned to the last detail, as we embarked on a new phase. Just when our family headcount was receding, we were blessed with more fullness through so many new relationships and stronger old ones too. This marriage renewed my faith in relationships and all that is emotional. Charles Dickens once said, “Family not only need to consist of merely those whom we share blood, but also for whom we would give blood”. Glad we have more such people!

With celebration almost being my second name, doing something memorable that makes my heart dance was a given. Napoleon once said “If the earth were a single state, then Istanbul would be its capital”. So for our anniversary celebration, Istanbul had to be the chosen destination, though we were repeatedly informed about the destination being red flagged. But everything about Istanbul, sounded just about right… at the confluence of Europe and Asia, where cultures meet and synergize into something rather magical. There is a blend of modern and ancient, legends echo its greatness, the captivating Bosphorous that calms your soul and the warmth of locals that redefines welcome. There is trouble in this destination for all its external dangers, but no one has been able to disturb its charm amidst so much chaos. So much buzz around that city that visiting there was definitely on our bucket list.

There is something about Istanbul that draws parallels to marriage for me. It has everything that matters, yet it yearns for more. It blends the best of both cultures in such harmony. There is chaos and calm. There is grandeur and simplicity. There is passion and hard work. There is warmth and decency. There is history yet the mind to embrace change. There is maturity and experience. There is a willingness to move on positively. There is fun and boundaries. There is faith and openness. So being in Istanbul for our 10th anniversary was a lot more meaningful that just a ‘perfect getaway’.

So today on our 10th anniversary for you Arya, here’s a facebook wish from me to you!

Ten years together is what we share,
With you and me as a pair!
Memories made, milestones are many,
With family and friends, it is worth every penny.
Show you my love with words is all I can,
Cause I am no kitchen fan.
No promises for a fancy meal or a beer mug,
Instead planned holidays by this travel bug!
Thank you for all the laughter, madness and care,
So ten more decades would only be fair!
I love you for all that you are,
With me, you’re shining star!
Promises made, now and then
Its always ‘I do’ at every ten!