I don't know those people.
These are the freaks I'm more familiar with:
Personally, I don't consider being together "long" until you're 10 + years into it. At 4 years together, we've barely scratched the surface- BUT we've been friends since high school, so there's that. However, in the brief 4 years we've been married, we have gone through some life. It has not been roses and butterflies. In the past 4 years, I have had the best moments of my life, and arguably the worst as well. We've had deaths, we've had births, we've had financial gain, and financial loss, we've been at our happiest, and our lowest.
When I said "I do." It felt surreal. It was such a short little ceremony, I kept thinking "This is it? I'm actually married?" I don't think "actually being married" struck me really for another two years. I'm not sure being married got real until being married got hard.
I laugh my butt off with his man. This whole being married thing is far from perfect. I've received lovely compliments from people who think my marriage is just awesome all the time. I appreciate that and as you won't ever hear me talk bad about my husband, unless you know me very well, you aren't likely to hear of any of our issues. It isn't though, trust me.
Don't get me wrong, (or to use vernacular "don't get it twisted"- see I can do that too). There are times we have had to sit down and say "We need to work on stuff. We need to communicate better. We need to keep this strong and here is what I need from you." Sometimes that has been hard. I think what has kept us going is this foundation of love. That part, the strong commitment and fidelity has been there and stayed there. That part and faith has got us through times where we were hurt, where we were angry, where things were hard. That and the ability to be in middle of pain, of brutal searing loss, and to laugh.
I'm really grateful. I'm grateful that I've had strong other relationships. Relationships outside of my husband that help keep me sane. My Mother, my best friend Kalyn, people who are strong, supportive, stable, and wonderful. When you surround yourself with stable people, they can help you get through those hard parts.
I look over at my husband. This is one of our few nights a week together. We don't get many date nights and only 3 nights a week do we even get to sleep in the same bed. Time is precious. I look over at him and I love that man. We are not who we were when we got married. We have grown and changed; physically, emotionally, and mentally. Thankfully, we've done that together. I was blessed to find the love of my life at 19.
"Whatever souls are made of, his and mine are the same" -Wuthering Heights
I like it this way. It's different- but it's still my favorite.