Everyone heard it growing up: Marry your best friend.
From the time you were old enough to date, this was pounded into your head. Marry your best friend. Looks are nice, sure. But they fade. Money comes and goes. Personality is incredibly important, too. But marry your best friend.
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They always said it, but never told us what it meant. I mean common sense tells you that “marry your best friend” means marry someone who is your friend. Marry someone who you can laugh with, adventure with, go to church with, cook with, sing with, etc.
But I don’t think I ever truly understood the magnitude of this saying . . . until we had our son.
Pre-baby, everything was so easy. We ate when we wanted, showered when we wanted, talked as loud as we wanted, went adventuring whenever we wanted, and slept uninterrupted every single night. And then came baby.
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Our lives turned upside down. We have to take turns eating, depending on what mood the baby is in. Showers have to happen either before the baby is awake or after the baby is asleep. Day trips take days of planning. Uninterrupted sleep is practically nonexistent.
But now I know what they meant. Marry your best friend.
Marry the person who holds your hair back as you’re throwing up during the first trimester. Marry the person who holds you and lets you cry when a loved one passes. Marry the person who takes your newborn baby on a drive so you can get 30 minutes to yourself.
Marry the person who tells you everything is going to be alright when you are stressed about money, and who somehow makes ends meet every single time. Marry the person who still fixes your dinner plate even after you just had the biggest fight of the century. Marry the person who rolls over in bed in the morning and tells you you are the most beautiful woman in the world . . . after you just woke up.
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So, marry that person. Yes laughing at jokes together is important, road trips are fun, singing together is hilarious. But jokes, road trips, and singing together won’t get you through the late nights, early mornings, and ever-changing seasons of life.
Yes, marry your best friend.