Today, December 19, is Tina’s birthday.
She’s 40.
Them there’s the facts.
For her birthday, I am giving Tina a trip to Bali, Indonesia. This is a landmark birthday, and I believe she deserves a good spoiling just after 40 spankings.
And one to grow on.
Sometimes people get a little clandestine with their birthdays after a certain age. Tina doesn’t always admit her age in public, but I’ve been proud when she openly tells people that this one’s a biggie.
I’ve been deliberating over what to write here and on her Facebook wall. When it comes to writing original content to loved ones, the thought pains are excruciating for me.
I don’t want to write, “Happy Birthday to my beloved wife, best friend and blah blah blah.” Or some variation of that statement. While it may be true, it’s not fun or clever.
But, goddamnit, Tina is my best friend. We spend countless hours together.
Our lives consists of a blurry line between vacation and work. My life is my work. It’s what I love to do. And while Tina spent her entire life thinking the two should be kept separate, she now realizes how much fun it is to combine the two.
Our aim is to make every day celebratory. Life is too short to spend it working every second. At quitting time, our kitchen becomes a land of music and aromas from cooking. Our evenings are lounging around with animals and back scratching.
That’s not to say we don’t have longer work hours stick us in the butt. But we try to balance.
One of our often-used catchphrases is “Sometimes, I have to pinch myself.”
We live in a dream. Instead of a life revolving carving out time to spend together, we spend all our time together. We have to remember to make time for ourselves. And half the time, we’re so attached at the hip, it’s like ripping off adhesive to get us apart.
If we were velcro, she’s definitely the soft side.
She’s the cuddly, loving and giving side. She’s the side that calms the nerves and soothes the stress.
Perhaps I wouldn’t be me without her. I’d like to think that’s true. I like to think we’re pretty good at keeping our identities our own, too, merging only certain parts of our shared vocabulary and pronunciations. Otherwise, we’re two different people with similar goals and interests who work hard at marriage and friendship.
Getting old together
I want to get old with Tina. I want to go into a retirement home with her and see who wins the, “Okay I’ll wipe your butt and change your diaper first” prize.
That’s what marriage means to me. It’s the person that you mold and change perspectives with. Gosh, when you’re 18, your view of love and marriage is all sex. But once I realized that’s not what it’s all about, that it’s about taking care of each other, I knew how much I wanted to get married.
And I haven’t looked back.
So raise your glasses to Tina Serafini everyone. And toast with me to the woman I love, the friend I cherish the most, and the person who will likely lose the contest and be wiping my ass long before I have to wipe hers.
Hear, hear!
Le Café Wittypoots 