Twenty-Two...

Today, twenty two (22) years ago, SLing and I scribbled our names down the intricate triplicate copy of one of the most important documents of our lives called the ROMC or commonly known as Registration Of Marriage Certificate. At that time, we were the young  and sweet 22 and 24 years old while so much passion, love and joy for one another. I guess, the same passion, love and joy is still there though the old body creaks and tweaks from time to time.

Someone asked me the other day, "How do you do it? Keeping your sanity? " I looked at that person and said simply " Quarrel each day, hate everything you do with each other and spike her drinks so that she goes to sleep early everyday! " I swear that person's eyes went two times larger and the jaw dropped! Anyway, the truth of the matter is that there is a lot of patience, give and take attitude ( more give than take, I guess! ) and a lot of mutual respect. Never mind about the physical appearance. That type of "beauty" can be "rectified" with the splashing of the tons of ringgit notes on one hundred and one cream ; but growing wider and getting some wrinkles here and there are part of the ageing process. It doesn't/should not change who we are on the inside.

Personally, the main foundation of a good marriage is the building of the trust foundation. We have to entrust our lives to one another and support one another. SLing and I built this foundation long before we penned our names down that paper. Nowadays, we see young couples practised " lip service" in everything while filling divorce papers are faster that ordering a Big Mac at McDonalds. The other thing that brought us to where we are is our non-obsession with finance. Sure! Money is important in our daily lives and our future.  We would be moronic to think that we could live on sunshine and air in this world but we have to be able to draw the line between greed and over-indulgence. Planning your finance and keeping a sound check on your financial resources are important but do not take the excuses of keeping for the future to over-hoard your finances and let it become an amplified obsession. Learn to go for short trips or even holidays and make it with the family. You don't need to go far away for your holidays. Sometimes local trips could give you immense joy by just enjoying the cool breeze or even some eye openers in terms of daily living. SLing and I have always enjoyed our short holidays whatever conditions we would be as long as we are there as a family.

Loving one another is the next factor. Though we may seemed like having a go at one another during our cat fights and the appearance of claws, SLing and I are really loving to one another. You have to love that person as a whole , to feel and be crazy enough to pen your death warrant on that paper! That's the beauty of SLing ,actually. Me? I came from a rough and tumbling world of chaotic bliss that I learned to be where I am slowly but surely! 

Forgiving and letting go of our baggages are our next formula/elixir for making it thus far. Many times, when we quarrel, we genuinely did not feel good about it. Sometimes, tempers flared and we say a lot of stupid/hurtful things along the way. I admit that I am mainly guilty for a lot of these at times. I guess, in many ways, both of us have different understanding on a lot of matter but the bottomline is how do we agree on a common ground. This is where forgiveness and a lot of heart is required. No need to dragged "old stories" and old baggages into the arguments and make it bigger than the air balloons in the sky! Move past that and focus in problem solving rather than making the problem worst.

SLing and I have also set certain rules in our lives such as zero tolerance to whatever vices. This is our real foundation all these years. We have seen in our lives how vices could really get couples into financial quandary, home-wrecking situations and head mess! We move on when it comes to things like this!  

I am not saying that we are the "bestest" couple in the world. We are still learning the curve and learning each step of our relationship every day. We may not be perfect and we do not want to be perfect or else we will probably poison one another! We falter too just like any other couples in this world.  The least we can do is live with one another and try making our lives pleasurable and enjoyable. Afterall, we all want to be happy, right? Afterall, being happy is such a subjective word. Our "happiness" definition may defer from person to person but to me, being able to spend 22 years of my life and probably another 22 more in the future with this woman, SLing  seemed alright, awesome and blissful!     

Here's a toast to 22 years of fun and more fun ( or funny - whichever comes along! ) ahead!