(Warning, this post is serious and therefore contains less than Hamilton’s recommended daily allowance of humor – also, he’s kinda fevered, so cut him some slack):
I’ve heard a number of people in various contexts express the idea that my marriage must somehow be different than other marriages, and they are either expressly or impliedly discouraged by the state of their own relationships by comparison. I feel compelled to write that this is simply not true, if only because discouraging people is the last thing I want. (Well, I wouldn’t mind discouraging Ted Cruz, but that’s another topic). Erin and I are just as horrible to each other as other married couples – sometimes worse. We have bad days, we fight, we disappoint each other, she acts like an inconsiderate jerk, I act like an even bigger, even more inconsiderate mega-jerk. In other words, we’re human, navigating one of the most challenging endeavors two humans can undertake – marriage.
All that said, every day I do my best to focus on and accentuate the positive. I don’t always succeed, but it’s never going to be for a lack of trying. Nobody posts stuff on Facebook like “I feel like divorcing my wife today” (unless it’s me making a joke about how she brought home the wrong cookies). We’ve had bumps in our road and dark, bleak times just like everybody. And we’ll have them again. But I believe that marriage is a choice you make not once, but every day, several times a day. And if your heart is in it, the right attitude and a little perspective can make even the hardest times good.
So take heart! We’re just as screwed up as everyone else. (More so – did I mention FOUR KIDS?). But we try to laugh at our faults, and forgive our ridiculousness, and muddle through this chaos as best we can – together. So if I make a joyful noise unto Facebook, just know that it doesn’t mean there wasn’t a lot of work behind the scenes to get there.
Now, back to being my ridiculous self.