To Mom and Dad

For 36 years together. That's a huge, huge deal.

On July 10, 1970, two young, yet dashingly good looking people (that's for you Mom) got married at C.V. Nayak hall in Mangalore, India. And what an auspicious day (or rather "suspicious" day as Dad likes to call it). Did they even know what life with that other person was going to be like? Hardly. I can't imagine the leap of faith that my parents took. Dad summed it up this morning with, "We've done pretty well for two people who have absolutely nothing in common but our daughter." After all these years, I can still tell that there's so much love there, even with their differences. It was a love that developed over time, but that stregthened with each obstacle they faced. To me, that's love in its purest, yet most rare form. I'm sure there were plenty of instances where they could have given up on their marriage, like most couples do these days, but they've stuck it out through the good and bad. Now, they have 36 years behind them to show for it. Well played, parents. Well played.

I've had some interesting thoughts as of late. One that came across my mind was, "What if I never, ever get married?" Yikes. For all the mundane thoughts I have during the day, this thought hit me pretty hard. Most of my friends are in their "marriage mode." Of course, I'm not there yet, and that's ok, too. Admittedly, it's hard to relate to them at times. Multiple conversations with BBV have put my fears at bay. There's no reason to get all bent out of shape. I overanalyze things. Twist and turn them. Because "what if I never get married?" turns into "oh my God, but I want kids!" Of course, I suppose there are defintely ways to raise kids without being married, but I don't think I'm quite strong enough to be a single parent. These are the wild places my mind goes.

But then I wonder what happens when I do get there? When I am in "marriage mode." Will I know the person well enough? What is "well enough?" How long does it take before you know you've gotten "the one?" Is there only one? Maybe that's my leap of faith to take. At this point, only time will tell. For now, I just want to give some credit to my amazing parents. Here's to 36 more suspicious years. (I love you guys.)