The Power of Other People's Marriages

For the past few years, I have been witness to and a part of many weddings, with two of them happening back to back in the past three weeks. It seems that everyone around me is getting more serious about their relationships with their mates, getting engaged, getting married and making key decisions that will forever affect their married lives. It's been interesting for me to watch my own evolution about how I feel about marriage. I remember being a teenager and thinking that marriage was the way to having everything you ever wanted. The problem with that is that your mate has to want roughly the same things and more importantly work hard to achieve those things. And I've been witness to and been a part of what happens when two people no longer want to work together. I also remember the time when I felt marriage was nothing but a crock- two people living monogamously for the rest of their lives? A happy and productive marriage? That can't be possible with shows like "Cheaters" showing, what else, cheaters. But as of late, with my friends and relatives that have taken their time to get to know their mates, let life rough them up a bit to see if the relationship is worth fighting for and waited until the time was right to get married, they have renewed my faith in the man being the man and the woman being the woman and both sides coming together with a common goal in mind. All of them have shown me what happens when two people want the same things and are willing to work for them. And who wouldn't want that? There are some that have truly been scarred up by relationships and vow not to marry again. They are well within their rights to never marry again if they don't want to. But I sincerely feel that if a man or a woman finds the one that wants to share their life with them, they won't let a little thing like life tear them apart. In fact, it's the bumps and bruises that make the relationships as unique as they are. I'm happy knowing that with all of the married couples in my life, they give me hope for the future about marriage. Not that I am trying to get married today or any time soon, but it is nice to be able to see firsthand what happens when everyone is on the same page.