…sabía que vendrías,…
con tus ojos, tus manos y tu boca
pero con otro corazón
que amaneció a mi lado
como si siempre hubiera estado allí
para seguir conmigo para siempre.
…”I knew you would come…
with your eyes, your hands, and your mouth
but with another heart
that awoke at my side
as if it had always been there
to be with me forever.
-Neruda
*
If you had known me eight years ago, you would have known that marriage was the last thing on my mind. Among all my friends, I’d likely have been the last one you’d expect to get married.
And then, everything changed.
*
I fell in love with mi media naranja (my other half) and when we stood on a beach in Vieques, Puerto Rico with friends and family during our wedding, I knew that I had made one of the most exciting, important decisions of my life: the decision to wake up each morning and choose again (and again and again) to practice love, to practice radical acceptance, to make mistakes and practice forgiveness, to remain curious about and appreciative and unconditionally committed to another human being as amazing and as flawed as I am. It’s a conscious choice that I make every day.
*
I recently joked with some friends that I missed the days of marriage when everything I did was the source of fascination, excitement and appreciation for Francisco. The couple laughed, perhaps in recognition. Having articulated the thought jokingly, I turned it over in my mind for a few weeks, wistfully.
And then the lines of Neruda’s poem “El Dano” came to mind:
“Tú entre todos los seres
tienes derecho
a verme débil.”
“You of all people
have the right
to see me weak.”
Love, marriage… they evolve. Each new phase takes you to a different place, if you’re willing to go there together.
Beautiful, simply beautiful! You are blessed and so is your husband…
I read your tweet about friends that broke up months ago & that led me here today.
Yes, love and marriage is quite the journey! Add a child or more and the dynamic changes again.
I am often shock and saddened to read about long term marriages breaking up, no matter if they are friends or celebrities. All the more so, if there are children involved.
Perhaps keeping love alive with one’s mi media naranja is the greatest journey of all!
Absolutely beautiful!.
You two definitely emanate true love, and definitely a source of inspiration for me and Urb as we start our own journey.
Congratulations! My husband and I have been happily married for 30+ years. I hope you have at least the same.
What beautiful poems! And a beautiful story as well.
I love your stories about Francisco and marriage. So honest and light.
Makes me VERY happy to see you two so in love and so committed to eachother. It’s fascinating how you describe love. I’ve been married for over 8 years and my love and admiration for Ivan have grown over the years.
This article is just beautiful… inspiring.
Arely- And you and Ivan inspire us, too!