I saw a very funny comedy bit recently about marriage. The comedian was madly in love and in a moment of overwhelming rapture ran to his partner and said “I love you! It’s the kind of love that comes around once in a lifetime! I never want to spend a single day without you! I think we should get the government involved.” And they got married.

When Guy and I got married we already owned a house and had a dog. We had our reception in our backyard and several of the rooms in our house had no furniture, which was great because it was full of wedding-goers and for several days what is now our front room served as a lively space for dance parties. It feels like yesterday.

Love surprises me. The highs are higher and the lows are lower than I imagined they’d be, but at the end of every day, I still turn to Guy and thank the universe that he’s the one I’m on the roller coaster with.

Middle age does sort of compel me to look backwards more than I used to. It also makes me wonder about choices I’ve made, roads I’ve traveled, things I’ve said yes (or no) to, and consider how things might have turned out differently. But when I go back to being 25 in my mind, I don’t hesitate about this decision. I choose Guy every time.