Being Married is Like . . .

Happy President's Day Weekend of our lives!

Every President's Day for the past 5 years my sister Mary and I have got together somehow. When she lived in Provo, I would drive down to visit. Last year when she was in Taiwan, we met over Google-talk. Now, she's in Texas and I'm in Idaho, so we spent an hour or so talking to each other as she drove down a central Texas highway and I sat on my kitchen cabinet looking for a cinnamon roll recipe.

As we talked, Mary asked what everyone asks, "What's it like being married?" I love being married, but you know me, I like to say exactly the right thing to express my feelings. We talked about it a little as I tried to find the right words. We talked about how you can be a good person but you finally get to a point where you can't do it on your own anymore. And then I thought (and said) what I feel like is the best way for me to express what being married is like for me. Being married is like having a personal trainer, someone who is always there helping you remember what type of person you want to be. When you're doing well they are there to cheer you on, and when you're having a hard time, they're there to hold the bar for you and help you up, and when you want to stop training, they're there to remind you of your goals and help you get back on track.

The other side of that coin is that, being married, you are your love's personal trainer as well. Now, I don't know about you, and I've never personally had a trainer, but I know what kind of personal trainer I would like to have. So if I'm going to be a personal trainer I'd better be the kind I wish I had and not a hard and mean one. I want to be the type that notices the hard work and not just the fat, and who realizes that everyone needs a day off and a cookie sometimes.

So, being married is like having/being a personal trainer. And mine is keeping me on my game!