40% Chance of Rain

It's cool, wet, foggy and crisp. The smell of wet earth, recently quenched of thirst is outside my window. This is one of my favorite types of days. When that cold air touches your skin, it makes you tingle with energy. The weather forecast for today, my 5th wedding anniversary, was "40% chance of rain," the exact words I chose when I started my wedding blog over 5 years ago to share my journey as I prepared to be married.

I never thought I'd be married so perhaps the name was allegorical for how I thought the marriage would go- slightly less than half stormy, or at least rainy. For a child of divorced parents, you realize, this is pretty optimistic. Don't take it personally, Honey. I know you're reading. This is my baggage and not really too much to do with you at all though...I may ask you to help me to get it down since it's likely shifted during the flight.

I'm the daughter of actors, theater people who can turn on and off emotions in a way that in retrospect has made me wonder what's real and what isn't. You know what I'm talking about. You have a friend, relative, coworker that you think of as a "drama queen." These people heighten emotion sometimes intentionally, sometimes unintentionally as a way to get what they want. It gets them the label but doesn't necessarily get them what they want.

Because we learn our behaviors from our parents, I felt I had to reflect on the history that has subconsciously impacted me these past 5 years. My parents are shown here getting married in June 1968 ('68 is the penned label you see at the bottom that's cut off). It's the only photo of their marriage I have access to and you see, they're ducking and running for cover (it's the rice no doubt). 

After I was married, I changed the name (no pun intended!) of my wedding blog, but not my own name. I renamed it 100% Chance of Joy. I think what marriage is really about is work and compromise which is why it makes some of us, men and women alike, duck and run for cover. Perhaps the rice is just something to make us go through the motions. At least that's 5 years worth of perspective. I'll be looking forward to more points of wisdom along the way and I'll be continuing my marital journey.

With love and thanks to my husband, David.

In honor of our 5th, I added a few digital pillows and throw curtains to my blog to make it an easy site where you can grab the travel blog portions of what I wrote- give it a gander if you like travel writing.