alterednate
Run
Lately I’ve had marriage on my mind a lot. I went home to visit my family and noticed, more than ever, the sweet and sulky patterns my parents have fallen into over the years, and the way my sister and her husband are growing into their own set of ever more familiar rhythms. Ross and I are coming up on our second anniversary ourselves, gently pricked by the awareness of how much more hard work is ahead of us as we journey on through this funny, frustrating love affair.
I love this picture not so much because it’s amusing (It’s a runaway bride! Wink wink nudge nudge!), or even because it’s terribly sweet (which it is). I love it because it’s a smart, apt juxtaposition of both the beauty and effort of marriage, or any long-term relationship.
Sometimes you get to put on a gorgeous dress and revel in your conspicuous affection, smiling smugly at how wonderfully compatible you are, how well you know each other, and how good you’ve become at responding to each other’s idiosyncratic irritations. Other times you just have to put your shoulders to the wind and run, past the fleeting disagreements and right through the long stretches of boredom, restlessness, or exhaustion.
What makes the difference between those who reach the finish line and those who collapse along the way? Well, I don’t know for sure—but you know, it could be that it’s all in the shoes.
Blog photograph copyrighted to the photographer and used with permission by utata.org. All photographs used on utata.org are stored on flickr.com and are obtained via the flickr API. Text is copyrighted to the author, meerasethi and is used with permission by utata.org. Please see Show and Share Your Work
