Silk, Linen and Pearls

Relationships are a funny thing. The longer they last, the more the little things become the big things. It's hard to avoid everyday life and the things that you do day after day, simply so that you can keep living day after day. Everyone knows the whirlwind of an early romance, the butterflies in your tummy, the excitement you feel just to see the other person. And the reward for things going well is that soon you have to do things like unplug the stopped up patio gutter in a rain storm so your living room doesn't flood or contemplate what kind of long term planning you need to do so that you can afford to live the mind boggling number of years you will likely have ahead of you.

But it is in these things that love doesn't have to become burried. Running back into the house sopping wet after successfully unclogging that gutter reminds you of that amazing trip to that Australian island when you got rained on walking home. And planning easily turns to dreaming of the future. It becomes about finding those moments where you least expect them.

B and I have been together for almost 12 years and today marks our 9th anniversary. And it is the little things that I cherish, that make me smile when no one is around, and to take comfort in the companion that I have found.

For example, B is a pool player. His briefcase is his cue case. It goes with him everyday.

Which is why, this makes me so happy everytime I see his case.

When I got those buttons made, he asked if he could have one. I couldn't imagine why he wanted one, but when I saw what he did with it, I smiled. I still smile everytime I see it. And in those moments, I think of him and what he means to me. And I realize that no fancy trip, no gourmet meal, and no bouquet of roses could ever replace those simple little things.