Yes, but what a lot of water

Today’s ‘Positive and Optimistic Sunday’. This morning I awoke first. I’m glad I did. I rolled towards her. I watched her in the depth of her slumber. I listened to her regular, almost silent, breathing. Eventually her sleep began to lighten. She started to stir. She opened her eyes. She looked over at me. She gave me a sleepy half smile. And her first words to me today were ‘Forty three years is a long time’. To which I replied ‘That’s water under the bridge’. Which brought from her in a flash ‘Yes, but what a lot of water’. Sweetheart Vivienne and I were married 43 years ago today. Two years ago I told the start of our story [1]. I didn’t think it’d be possible for me to love her more than I did then. I was wrong. Way wrong. Yes, 43 years is a long time. I can’t say it feels like our wedding was yesterday. It doesn’t feel like it was 43 years ago, though. I don’t know what our future holds. But whenever the time comes for the account of my life to be computed, my one hope is that whoever does the totting up’s perspicacious enough to realise that the most important, the most defining, the most joyous, the most inspirational thing that’s happened to me in my whole life, is my marriage. Happy anniversary to you, my darling. My Sweetheart. My Vivienne. How positive and optimistic is that.