Starting Is The Easy ...

STARTING IS THE EASY PART-------------------

Katie and I got married a little over 21 years ago.

We wanted a simple wedding ceremony, a simple reception - a few friends, some family, a little cake, some punch and that was it. But then, the relatives got involved. Sound familiar?

What started out as an uncomplicated and straightforward wedding became a hand wringing, temper testing logistical nightmare - we wish it was over wedding. Over the months leading up to the wedding, ever single aspect, I mean every single aspect of the wedding changed with the exception of Katie and I being the Bride and Groom at the ceremony.

I remember arriving at the wedding reception thinking that we had arrived at the wrong place because it looked nothing like we had originally planned, the cake was just horrific, the band was right out of Vegas, I didn’t recognize a soul…..but then I saw the relatives - I wasn’t in the wrong place - I was just naive.

I had imagined so many different kind of romantic emotions that we would have on our wedding day, but the one emotion that overwhelmed all the others that day was, relief that the wedding was over.

Then, a week later, the alarm clock went off at 4:00 am and I had to get back to work. Now, real life was about to set in.

We had planned, debated, discussed and argued every aspect of the wedding day, but now as I pour my coffee I realized that the vows and commitments I had made a week before weren’t about that wedding day at all, they were about living those vows and commitments for better or worse. Now I knew that, intellectually before I got married, but waking up at 4:00 am, rushing in and out of the shower and facing a serious commute with only a cup of coffee to fend off cold brought it all home to me: Getting started is the easy part and finishing is always great, but the day to day, that is hard work.