marriagetrainersHow ironic is it to write an opinion article on a social trainer blog when you yourself are a subscriber.  Even more ironic is looking for advice on what’s socially acceptable for a single person when you are married.  I am betting there are those of you who are frequent subscribers of this blog that are married like me.  Now, I am by no means an expert on marriage (just ask my wife) and I’m definitely not qualified enough to preach on the subject.  If I were to merely make an observation, just a small tutelage of opinion on the matter, I might be inclined to advise single readers that marriage is not for everyone. #dah #nobrainer #hashtagssuck

An old retired Irishman once told me that “Love is blind, but marriage is an eye opener.”  Actually, it’s a well-used quote from Pauline Thomason (yeah I googled it), but it seemed more sage coming from the old man with an Irish accent.  I’ve had many of my single friends tell me they are looking for the right person to settle down with and start a family, and like most of my married friends, I shake my head and tell them not to rush into it.  Being single is great and it’s something that one should ENJOY!  Whether you’re a man or woman, we all feel like the grass is greener on the other side.  Singles look at marriage as a path to happiness when they see cute kids or think of having someone to come home to.  We married folk can also look at our single friends with envy, fantasizing about the freedom that comes without having to take another’s opinion into account, or of all the “recreational” activities we could partake in……..i.e. like turning our beds into a bunk bed for more room.  #somanyactivities #stepbrothers #craphashtags

“A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers” – Robert Quillen (promise last quote!).  This is what I mean when I say marriage isn’t for everyone.  Now, I’m not saying marriage is a requirement for happiness, nor that it’s anything more than a social construct.  I’m just pointing out that you know you’re ready for marriage (or a long term commitment) when you are willing to be forgiving of your significant other and truly accept them.  Even more so, you know you are ready once you can allow them to be forgiving of you.  It’s not easy to give someone the time to work through the mental leap of forgiving.  Let me tell you, my wife is a very forgiving person in-spite of me.  She knows the essence of who I am and accepts me (on a daily basis!) for all my traits, hang ups and plain old idiosyncrasies.  Although, sometimes she too can get under my skin, I know accepting her pales in comparison to what she puts up with.

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s awesome having kids and a family, but it’s Fu#k!ng work.   In fact, I suck at it sometimes, just as I sucked at being single too.  At the same time I can’t imagine life without my family.  Some of us might not be the right cut for marriage, but for those of you who think you are, keep in mind that when it comes to a marriage, be sure you are ready to be forgiving; because in order for it to work, you will need to be forgiven.  #Thatisallfolks #keepitsimple #stopusinghashtags