Nu Resolution
By Joe Walker
“Are you afraid of change?”
My bottom lip wouldn’t stop quivering. I stared into my fiancé Nicki’s eyes watching them fill with tears. My heart pounded. We firmly held hands gripping more tightly every second. I closed my eyes for a moment, just long enough for the last eight years of my life to flash before them. I wasn’t afraid and I wasn’t dying. Honestly, I felt more alive than ever. When I opened my eyes… my fiancé was gone.
And for the first time I locked eyes with my wife.
I’ve started this year a new man – a married man. One of the biggest changes any person can undergo. Marriage makes you over. Though I can’t explain the feeling, I definitely feel different. What I don’t feel is handcuffed or my step hampered by a ball and chain.
Like many people I once swore I’d never marry. Failed marriages of friends and relatives will haunt you if allowed. Just bear in mind these are other people’s lives and situations. You have to create your own, something I learned, with Nicki, over time.
TV contributes to spooky myths and matrimonial horror stories too. “Don’t sleep alone in the dark; marriage will get you!” “Don’t put on that ring; marriage will eat your finger!”
My wife and I have walked side by side for eight years. We’ve cracked sidewalks and we’ve laid some smooth pavement. We’re people. No person will ever be perfect, so why expect relationships to be? Part of the joy of marriage is working on it together. Making memories, history and family, all while trying to get as close to perfection as humanly possible. Key word: Trying.
You never knew you could sleep alone in the dark without a light on until you tried it. You never knew you’d like kissing so much until you tried it. You saw others do it before you, and maybe someone told you it was even scarier than it looked. Form your own opinion.
The words “I do” jumped excitedly from my mouth with no hesitation. I wasn’t afraid to say them, or of what saying them would do to me in the future. I’ll tell you this though; saying them changed me. I felt it immediately. Marriage got me, my finger remained uneaten, and I especially liked kissing my wife!
New Resolution: Don’t be afraid to change or try. You might miss out on something you’ll really enjoy.
