Love Story

Why is it that every "love story" is about falling in love?  We've romanticized the idea of the meeting that special person and that first year or however long leading up to the wedding so much that once that part is over we are left thinking, "that's it.  I'll never have those feelings again."  It's probably why so many people marry so many times, they are wanting to experience that over and over again because they think THAT is the romantic part.  I disagree.  I think THAT is the easy part.  I'm not saying it's easy to find someone to love, but once you've found that person, the first part is the easiest.  The true love story starts years into your relationship, after kids come along, after you've struggled with money, jobs, differences, temptations, and so on.  I challenge the writers of these romantic movies to produce a movie showing how romantic a 20 year old marriage can be. Or how attractive a man can be when he is supporting his family, changing diapers, playing on the floor with your kids, stressing over how to train his teenage son to be a good man, all while wearing a shirt! Preferably one covered in dirt because he was working on your house, or spit up, because he took that extra night shift with the baby so you could get two extra hours of sleep.  I think if we spent our time watching more movies and shows like this, then maybe more people would want to make it to that 50 year anniversary. We would start looking past the wedding and the babies and think more about what an amazing life you could have together.  I found a quote the other day that in a way led to this post;

"He's not perfect. You aren't either, and the two of you will never be perfect.  But if he can make you laugh at least once, causes you to think twice, and if he admits to being human and making mistakes, hold onto him and give him the most you can.  He isn't going to quote poetry, he's not thinking of you every moment, but he will give you a part of him that he knows you could break.  Don't hurt him, don't change him, and don't expect more than he can give.  Don't analyze.  Smile when he makes you happy, yell when he makes you mad, and miss him when he's not there.  Love hard when there is love to be had.  Because perfect guys don't exist, but there's always one guy that's perfect for you."

You may be thinking what does this have to do with being healthy.  I think happiness and healthiness are linked in so many ways.  We need healthy bodies, healthy habits, healthy souls,  and healthy relationships.