I am going to deviate from the day’s bloganuary prompt to share a bit of a personal post. Of course, this is a personal blog and some of the things I write here are deeply personal. This is just one of those posts.

I just celebrated seven years of marriage with my wife.

In the grand scheme of things, a birthday or an anniversary seems meaningless. I mean, it’s a way to track Planet Earth revolving around the sun and using an abstraction of measuring time for milestones. But we’re puny humans after all, so it does mean a lot of things, however much you try to sidestep it.

Seven years is a long time. I am in my early thirties, which means that I have spent a quarter of my life with Archana so far. That is a long time. And the interesting thing about time is that the more you live, the more that percentage increases too. And that makes anniversaries more and more special. I mean, you may detest growing old for your birthdays, but you do not detest your anniversaries.

My wedding anniversary is deeply special for me. It is a constant reminder that there is another human being who (despite all my flaws and foibles) decides to trust me with their life, and makes a strong decision to live by my side. And that too, while battling an entire gamut of pain, suffering, trauma and whatnot. If they must go through all of that and still choose me, I must be special, no? It’s one of those things that motivates me to wake up in the morning. 🙂

I have nothing but gratitude as I celebrate my anniversary. I read somewhere that people need a raison d’etre for survival. I have mine. If there is anything I have gained in my life so far, I owe a bulk of it to my wife. Being there for someone, giving them all your love, and supporting them through thick and thin, really adds colors to your life. The past seven years brought colors to my monotonous life, along with lots of happiness, and love. Even in the darkest of clouds, I am able to see the silver lining with Archana by the side. Her presence is so natural, I don’t think I can imagine a life without her in this planet.

As I step into the eighth year, all I can ask is for this gift of a life with my wife last an eternity. I know I sound sappy, but that is what love does to you, right?