Marriage is awesome

I'm going to take the time here to plug one of my favorite blogs: I am Husband. I think any of my readers who, like myself, are husbands can benefit from reading it, and would encourage them to do so. The tone is very conversational and guy-to-guy, and the advice is rock-solid. I bring this up for a couple of reasons:

1. I am happily married.
2. I want everybody else who is married to be at least as happy as I am.

The benefits of a secure and happy marriage are numerous. Having someone you can trust, a longer lifespan, and a partner to stand by you through hard times are the old cliches, and many other have written about them better than I ever could. I'd like to get into the lighter side of things today.

First, marriage is fun if you let it be, and I'm not just talking about sex, here. Having someone around that you are that good of friends with is worth the effort a strong marriage takes all by itself. Chances are, if you made it to the altar, you spent a lot of time enjoying each others' company on the way. My wife and I have built up an impressive store of mutual pastimes, inside jokes, shared fond memories, and a few common friends. My relationship with her has enriched my life in ways I never would have expected it to.

Second, marriage widens your circle of people. My wife and I were fortunate; we both like the in-laws and the feeling is mutual all around. It's a great experience to be part of two cool families instead of just one, but even if your in laws aren't your favorite people in the world, marriage probably at least carries the benefit of a few new friends into it. I've also found that it's easier to be friends with other married people when you yourself are married, and as I get older, that group of "other married people" gets bigger all the time.

Third, marriage provides me with someone to keep me on my toes in all the little areas where I'd otherwise totally slack off. I find dirt and clutter far less obnoxious than my wife does. As a single guy, I lived in an environment where vacuuming was an annual occurrence at best, dishes sometimes sat in the sink for weeks (yes weeks, plural) between washing, bills got forgotten occasionally, and so on. I wasn't a complete troglodyte, but the presence of mess really didn't bother me, either. My wife has changed that. Mess bugs her. She gently pushes me towards excellence in other ways of my life, calls me on it when I get crazy ideas in my head, and rounds off my rough edges. I wouldn't be a bottom-feeder or a danger to society without her, but I'd be a liar if I didn't acknowledge that I'm a better person for her presence in my life.