A Little Bragging

I've never been a religious person, but since meeting my husband I have lived a blessed life.

Since that day, opportunities and experiences never before available to me opened up. I've been entrusted with sensitive information. Learned how to drive zamboni and have cut ice for an Olympian. Have made a lifelong friend. Came into myself. Can understand my mother, with whom I've had a tumultuous relationship. Those are but a few examples.

All before saying "I do".

Now I'm enveloped in an amount of security and devotion that will always blow my mind. Drafting this post, with pen and paper, my cat Puck was napping on my stomach, one paw stretched out on my chest, looking for all the world a completely trusting picture of innocence. I can't thank my friend Alexandria enough for giving him and his brother, Chess, to me. Their antics and empathy bring me much joy.

I've never been so wholeheartedly accepted for who I am.

Correction: I've never been encouraged to be who I am.

Now I find myself able to decorate my home how I please (shabby chic meets steam). I ride an amazing mare three days a week, who is as gentle as a lamb when I'm not feeling well. I can pursue my interests without judgment. DH is buying me a sewing machine in two weeks so I can start designing clothes. I'm not told it's silly to already be constructing my dream home using The Sims, or that I'm getting ahead of myself when I research where I want it to be. I have a "baby checklist" too, and it's ok.

I feel as though a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders that I was unaware of. My steps are lighter. My thoughts make sense. My skin is clearer. My hair isn't falling out.

My life isn't glamorous, not by any means. Yes, I ride, but my trainer and Chloe do a great job of keeping my feet on the ground. My husband and I follow a budget. We have our spats. Sometimes the stupidest things set me off - the couch cover isn't perfectly arranged? Cue screaming in 3... 2... 1... !!!!!

And let's not forget I'm a slave to two kitties. And my stove top refuses to stay clean. And there is fur literally everywhere, even if I vacuum everyday. When my husband has to wear his dress uniform, which is stored in the closet, despite locking the cats in the bathroom and heading straight out the door after getting it on it draws the fur out of the ether like a magnet.

But I have reasons to smile.

Once upon a time I didn't.

But now I do and that's all that matters.

As my grandfather once told me:

Everything will be okay in the end.