"By all means marry. If you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher." - Socrates
While my views on marriage, the journey of love, are not as drastic as those of Socrates, on the occasion of Valentine's day, the cynic in me jumps out and so does the little cupid. I get conflicting signals from different parts of my brain. As I try to sort both of them out, I will try to express the thoughts that run through my mind here.
Seeing these Silverbills cuddling together set off the train of thoughts about, love, Valentine's day and companionship in general...
You and I My own click and graphics
First off, let us think a bit about Valentin's day itself -
I am, frankly, not a great believer of celebrating Valentine's day. First of all, is Valentine's day really a day o romance and love like
we believe?
Is it really all about a Victorian concept involving love and cupids as depicted in this painting...
All abouts cupids and love? Image Source
Unfortunately irrespective of the hype created by various Card and Chocolate companies about this being a day all about romance, it appears that the day is associated with rather tragic events where St. Valentine was actually executed. Apparently the whole concept of love being associated with St. Valentine was due to his having written a letter to his Jailer's daughter before being executed. His execution had nothing to do with love apparently - it was because he believe in Christianity and promoted it.
There is also a stream of thought which terms St. Valentine's day as an attempt by Christians to divert the focus away from the pagan festival of Lupercalia.
Let us not worry about the origins or significance of this single day though. My point is more about the relationships, companionships and marriage being a continuous celebration rather than just this single day.
Let me specifically address the relationship that is marriage here.
I think that marriage is journey that takes a lot of adjustments on the parts of both companions. I also believe that it is a 'celebration' that goes beyond just a day of celebration on Valentine's day.
My good lady and I have been married for over 30 years now. We have survived the idiosyncrasies of each other and also faced every battle together.
It is not that we are both perfect and have no faults. As the ladies will swear, though not as extreme as the quote below, husbands can be a pain in the posterior due to some typical habits 😀
"You may marry the man of your dreams, ladies, but fourteen years later you’re married to a couch that burps." - Roseanne Barr
I can, as per my good lady, be very annoying when I keep telling her I will come to dinner table in "just 5 more minutes", which can drag on for hours if I am into one of my photography or other projects. I also leave wet towels on bathroom floor, snore melodies to beat Beethoven's best compositions. I also fail to notice her new clothes or hairstyle!
The last one is the most heinous of my crimes apparently 😀
My good lady is not a breeze to survive with either. Like most of the ladies I know (honorable members here please pardon me for generalization - no offence meant😀) she takes only a 'few minutes' to get ready (I do not know in which solar system THOSE few minutes are measured - Einstein would have loved to study the way time stretches there! LOL). It irrigates me but the end result of those 'few minutes' is so spectacular that my jaw drops - even after having seen good lady for 30+ years!
She also blows my patient diplomacy (with customers, neighbors, relative etc.), of days /months, right out of water with a very blunt remark! When it comes to being blunt and to the point, she is so adept that we can almost invent a new 'Bluntese' language based on her way of expressing herself. 😀
Irrespective of this (and much more) though, we have survived 30+ years together and are still going strong.
I know for sure that EVERY day, it is a joy to be with my lovely companion and it is a feeling I can not express in words.
At the end of my life, as I breathe my last, the only one by my side probably will be my good lady and that is what will matter...
Damn - did not mean to be this sentimental. Thought I will write a bit in satirical and humorous vein. Got carried away. See what the good ladies can do to us - Even when they are not looking over our shoulders, they still are in command! 😅😂
Hope you enjoyed the photo and the thoughts.
