10 Years

Ten years is a milestone, in any arena. I'm proud that my husband and I just celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. Here are a few reasons why we made it:

1. Scott and I met climbing. He was disgusted that the owner of the Boston Rock Gym had hired me, a young woman with less than 6 months climbing experience to be an instructor at the gym. My memory is that he came up to me and said something along these lines: "I'm going to take you climbing so you don't kill somebody." We became friends and climbing partners. I couldn't have asked for a better one of either. One of my first lead climbs ( a climb up the rock face where the climber puts in their own protection....if you fall, the protection you put in holds your fall) had tricky gear placements. When I finished, I was very proud of the climb. Scott came up behind me and I asked him how it looked. He smiled and said "four out of five of those pieces would have failed...I'm glad you didn't fall." He would have noticed as I was climbing up 75 feet that I was putting in bad protection. He also would have known that to tell me that would have increased my chance of falling and so he said nothing. Whenever I get frustrated that he is so calm, cool, and collected, I think of that day. Sometimes, it is helpful to have the affect of a post.

2. Scott and I were friends for many years before we decided to chance getting romantically involved. Having a friendship first is the way to go.....having a friend who stubbornly refuses to listen to all his friends warn him about the dangers of getting involved with a woman with commitment issues, even better!

3. Scott is funny, but funny 10 minutes after he has left the room and you figured out the second and possibly third meanings of his remarks.

4. This is going to sound trite and worn but we really do compliment one another. I'm a social worker, he is an engineer; I'm loud, he rarely talks unless he knows you for several years; I write poetry, he pretends to like it; I'm gut, he is pure analysis. I'm Texas, he is New England.

So, I'm so very grateful to my loving husband and to the universe. It is an amazing thing to have found your life partner, an adventurer and old-soul atheist. I hope this is the first of many lifetimes together.