"Wrinkles only go where the smiles have been." ~Jimmy Buffett

Tonight I had dinner with a woman who told me that she was more in love with her husband than she was when she married him. Fifty-seven years ago. They met in college when she was a cheerleader and he was a football player. She told me that even to this day, when he walks through the door her heart fills happiness. She told me she is so blessed.

I found this so inspiring. It's nice to know that people can feel this way after being together for that long. It's nice to know there is such a thing as forever.

I just wonder... what does it take?

In this world full of self-help books telling people how to nurture successful relationships, it's funny that there is no single formula that equals happiness until death do us part.

So, while we're on the subject... here's a few things I've learned (in my limited experience) help keep the happiness within the fragile bubble of a relationship.

-Compromise... always. There are two (read it: TWO) people in a relationship. No one can get their way one hundred percent of the time.
-Laugh, and remember to have fun... act like children if you have to.
-Let the little things go... not everything is important enough to fight over. Figure out what's worth fighting for and what won't matter when you make up tomorrow morning. The fight will usually sting longer (and do more damage) than what you were upset about to begin with.
-Accept that you will, most definitely, not like everything about your partner. That's just the way it is.
-Understand that your differences make you stronger.
-Don't think too much about the future... if you're happy today, that's more than a lot of people can say.


Well, that's it. I told you my experience was limited. And I'm still learning every day. Multiple times a day. I'm not preaching my self-professed wisdom... I'm only recording these things so that next time Boyfriend irritates me (which really isn't very often) I can look back at it. And please, if you, my darling reader, have any other tips, I strongly encourage you to leave a comment... I need all the help I can get.

How else will I make it to fifty-seven years?