On How Marriage is Just Like Traveling

I started thinking about the parallels between marriage and traveling a few weeks ago as I was preparing a toast to give at the wedding of a best friend. The best friend just so happened to be Amanda, map reader extraordinaire.  She caught on to my deplorable map-reading abilities fairly quickly into our first adventure together and well, the rest is history. As she has been a constant travel companion, I knew she would appreciate my references to travel in the toast. It was a wonderful speech indeed---full of memories, encouragement, a few jokes, and even one part spoken all in Spanish. Yup, it was practically the best speech ever.

Best ever, IF I had actually been able to verbalize all of those things. 

That is because I got up in front of everyone and froze. Completely. Froze.

It started out well enough. I said my name, followed by how I knew her. The rest is a blur. All I know is that I couldn't breathe and I felt extremely cold and shivery.  At one point I looked over at her and she nodded encouragingly. The bride should not have to be supporting her matron of honor at such a moment. Geez. Apparently, my primary comfort zone of an audience consists only of 8th graders. Anyway, none of the good stuff I had planned got out. I said a few pithy platitudes, which I am fairly positive included the phrase "I cherish your friendship." Blehh. I hate the word "cherish." It makes me feel.....churlish.

I digress. Here is what I was getting at:

We start out on journeys to lands near and far, and we don't know what  is going to happen between our departure and our return. We can plan all we want, but the truth is, there are just too many variables that are not within our control.  Bad things will probably/definitely happen in some form or fashion, but there are going to be a whole lot more amazing things to make up for it. On any journey, it is best to have a backup plan when things don't go according to vision,  a good friend to call when we are
homesick/sad/broke/freaking out, a rainy day wad of cash, and a clean change of clothes ready for an impromptu adventure out on the town.

Is marriage really any different?

In all of the infinite wisdom I have acquired in my recently minted one official year of marriage, I say nah, it's not really that different.

Congratulations Amanda and Eddie!
And happy first anniversary to my husband. We made it through the "hardest" first year (if I had a dollar for every time I heard that....), on with the rest of them!

These two expressions are interchangeable between us. I often find myself amusing, while he does not, and vice versa.