A writing assignment I love, and reprise in various iterations every chance I get to work with fellow writers, is a variation of an idea from the amazing Jim Burke and his brilliant The English Teacher’s Companion. My copy is the early edition and in it, scattered among the gems, is a way of generating a personal essay from an adjective. The example I use most successfully when I write with my people is: “I am lucky.”
My first anecdotal support is always, “I am lucky in love,” and I begin telling the story of meeting, then re-meeting, my husband. I married him after spending maybe 14 days together, hours of expensive phone calls notwithstanding (remember those days when phone time had a real cost attached?). The day I called my parents to tell them we were heading out to a notary public’s office to make it official, I prefaced the announcement by asking my mom, “Do you believe in love at first sight?”
I could almost hear her worry in that, “Oh, Patricia,” but I hurriedly reassured her and off we went. After the brief ceremony, we headed out for a long weekend on Captiva Island, but beforehand we stopped to stock up on some snacks. I was reaching for the passenger side door handle, my new husband almost to the driver’s side when the reality of what we’d done struck. I froze, our eyes met, and he saw that …what? panic, perhaps?
We were 33, two never-been-marrieds, failed-at-relationships, maybe-it’s not-in-the-cards-for-me-and-I’m-okay-with-that types, yet here we were on this boldly bright Miami street—married.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, puzzled, worried, uncertain.
“It’s forever, for the rest of our lives. It’s …”
“But,”and he paused, then spoke, “It happens one day at a time. We can do this.”
And despite the number of times we have had to reassure ourselves, to remind ourselves of the gift of another day and our ability to handle what life brings, we have done this.
Happy Anniversary, Eric, 37 years so far, with a song for every moment. I remain lucky.
Jump off; Find Wings 
What an amazing story. Your husband’s response to your worry is beautiful and explains why your marriage has lasted.
Thanks for reading. There’s some evidence to support that.
Congratulations on 37 years together – what a feat to test the tale of time. You truly are lucky in love. May you both have many years left together
Don’t know how I missed your post yesterday. I must have been half asleep. Anyway, congratulations to you both. Sometimes you just know when it is right. I do think the key is taking it one day at a time and dealing with whatever that day brings.