Today, Clyde and I celebrate our sixteenth anniversary. Sixteen years together! I’m humbled and proud and grateful, all at the same time.
Our love started out as a giddy, dizzy mixture of excitement and disbelief. I would drive down to Jackson to spend Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays with him; he would drive to Kosciusko to be with me on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Do I need to tell you how much I hated Mondays and Thursdays?
When Monday mornings came (all too soon!), leaving his house to drive back to mine was sheer agony.
Back then, my greatest fantasy was getting to wake up with him every morning. Sixteen years later, you’d think “Waking Up with Clyde” would have become nothing more than a routine — but to this day, I treasure the fact that my days begin and end with him.
During our early years together, people constantly asked us, “How long have you two been a couple?”
When I would say, “Two years” or “Three years,” people always responded with disbelief. “You’re so perfect together,” acquaintances would say. “We just assumed you’d been a couple since high school!”
We were right for each other then … and we’re even more right for each other now. Clyde completes me in ways I still don’t fully understand. He is the one constant, the one dependable, entirely trustworthy anchor in my life — my compass, my waypoint, my North Star.
I’m up and down; he’s right down the middle. I’m all about ideas; he’s all about details. I’m words and fantasies; he’s numbers and practicality. I’m “out there;” he’s here and now.
Clyde delights me, every day, from breakfast in the morning to goodnight kisses in the evening. Whether we’re walking through fragrant flower markets in Bangkok or watching So You Think You Can Dance while piled up on the couch, I’m perfectly and completely happy.
I just love him. He just loves me.
Though I used to object to using the word, I’m more confident than ever that what Clyde and I share — whether the fact is recognized by law or not — is a marriage. Anyone who doubts this — anyone who cannot see and hear and feel the truth of that statement — must, like Doctor Seuss’ Christmas-stealing Grinch, have a heart three sizes too small.
Sixteen years.
I love you, Clyde, and I’m grateful every day to have you in my life.
I can’t wait to see what the next 16 years bring us.
Congratulations Guys! We remember 16 as a great year and know that you will have many more years of enjoyment and discovery ahead of you. Thanks for being such good role models for us and the rest of the Couples Class.
Bill and Matthew
Congratulations on the anniversary! I have been a reader now for about a year. Never comment, but today I could not help because you mentioned Kosciusko. I am from Kosciusko…My hometown!! I live in Starkville now but often visit because of family. What a small world huh?
Erin: What a pleasure to have you here! Thanks for speaking up … I love to hear from readers of the site.
I used to really enjoy having lunch at Cafe on the Square in Kosciusko! The little Chinese restaurant next door to the old cinema was also a favorite. And there’s nothing like taking out of town friends to see Miss Hull’s bizarre home/museum/collection!
Thanks again for stopping by … and for the anniversary wishes.
M.