Anniversaries: reminders of our times together

By BEN OLSON/for The Herald  —  This Thursday my wife and I will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. A quarter of a century together. I know that it’s not a long time, geologically speaking, but as Willie Nelson put it in his 1961 song, Ain’t it funny how time slips away. I’ve known many other people who have been married longer, but they weren’t married to my wife. Please don’t take that the wrong way.

When we got hitched, I was 44 years of age. I was under the assumption that I was beyond my “sell by” date. I was wrong. My wife was concerned that, at some point in the future, I wouldn’t be able to remember the date on which we got married, so she let me pick out the day. I chose February 2, Groundhog’s Day, because of the movie. Bill Murray wrung a lot of humor out of having to relive the same day over and over again. It’s the ultimate story of eventually choosing to do the right thing for the right reasons, and life rewards you for the effort. Sure, the details are different, but it’s my story, too.

It has not been all “seashells and balloons”. In fact, there have been some trying times, but I’ve been told, by others who have been through this, that it is to be expected. She has always been an excitable type, seeing all that might go wrong in any future endeavor. She didn’t marry a hot-blooded Italian. However, she did get a stoical Norwegian who had been a bachelor for a long time.

We’ve each given the other space to pursue projects that make us happy and give us fulfillment. She has been faithful and supportive of my dreams and schemes, even the one about me being a musician. If that’s not love, what is? I appreciate all that she does to make our house a home. In keeping with her standards, most things are nicer and more “ship-shape” than if I were running the show myself. She is, and has always been, a devoted mother to our kids. 

If I had to do it all over again, I would. I’m going to get her a big bunch of flowers and take her to a nice restaurant for the occasion, even though I don’t need a special occasion to do those things. I’m also writing a newspaper column to let the world know what a wonderful woman I was lucky enough to marry- not every bride gets to have that.  I’m looking forward to our next 25 years.

When you see her, please tell her, “you are the most fortunate woman in the world- having a husband who loves and cherishes you the way he does”. Please stick to the script.