The Secret to a 45-Year Marriage

 

Beloved and I are two days away from our 45th wedding anniversary and I am at a loss for a significant-yet-affordable way to celebrate the milestone.

Last year, we vacationed in Hawaii. It was a trip we "won" in a fund-raising auction and the timing just kind of worked out for it to be anniversary-esque.

But NOW what?

The WorldWideWackfest tells me the traditional gift for a 45th anniversary is sapphire:

Some believe the deep blue color represents the deep love you share after all these years. The sapphire is also considered a stone of royalty which makes it the ideal gemstone to honor 45 years of marriage. In the same way that a sapphire shines, your 45 years of marriage stands as a gleaming example of longevity for others.

I'm not really sure what being "a stone of royalty" has to do with it...other than if you don't treat your wife like a queen you'll never make it to 45 years.

I'm not even all that sure Beloved shares a "deep love" for me. Maybe she just can't stand the thought of breaking in a new husband. It's not that she's devoted to me, she's just trying to be energy-efficient.

She's learned how to ignore my warped sense of humor and total lack of handyman skills...why let all that self-training she's done go to waste?

Better the devil you know, right?

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Happy Anniversary, Beloved! Here's to several more years of being resignedly tolerant.