Other World

My friend's mom recently published a book called A Decision Based on Love that I started reading this afternoon. I already had the heads up that it would be a tear jerker but what I didn't know is that I would start getting emotional from page 1. Had anyone died? no... Was someone hurt or sick? no... Was there any good reason for me to be crying? not really... 

The first page is about a woman waking up in the morning. That's what brought on the tears. Here... read a bit of it for yourself:

"When she peeked up from her prayers her husband Todd was watching her with a slow, lazy grin. “Good morning beautiful,” he whispered, as he patted the bed beside him.
Shari glanced over at the full length mirror on the wall and laughed out loud. How could he possibly call her beautiful? Her short blond hair had more gray than blond and it was sticking up in every direction. She could swear her skin looked wrinklier than it had yesterday and her hot pink baggy pajamas were as flattering as a neon potato sack. Still, Todd made her feel beautiful. He always had. He loved her more now than he had when she was young and pretty, and he told her every day. It wasn't just words either; he acted like he was the luckiest man on earth. Todd was definitely in that prayer of gratitude. Shari climbed back into their king size bed, wrapped her arms around him and snuggled up to his chest." 

Super happy and lovely, right? That's exactly why I reacted emotionally. I guess up until today I didn't realize that relationships like that exist. That two people can get married and still be crazy about each other 30 years down the road. That world has never existed in my mind. I've never seen that as a real thing. 

Every once in a while I get glimpses of that in my own relationships and think that maybe, just maybe, I could have that some day.

And that's my world-- one where stories like the one in this book are simply stories. I've had a pretty good life and if I can't comprehend that these stories really exist then I completely understand why someone worse off than me wouldn't even see them as an option.

That's something I've learned I need to understand and have patience with. Not everyone comes from the same background as I do. We each have our own perceptions of what love and marriage is like depending on what we've seen from those surrounding us and what we have chosen to educate ourselves on. I might be associating with someone who has never seen anything less than this beautiful love story or I might be associating with someone who has never even seen the slightest glimpse of it.

I'm so glad that I know that stories like this exist. That I can expect to wake up in the morning and be told I'm beautiful by the greatest husband in the world.

It raises my standards an expectations for what I can be some day and adds to my motivation to be so much more than I already am.

It's possible.

It's a whole other world.