love thursday: seven years and counting

My Marcus.  Photographed Friday, June 12, 2009 with Nikon D300, 100mm manual lens.

This week, I was reading the blog of a friend of mine, and on this particular post, she was talking about the new man in her life.  I've been reading her site for several years, and over the time she's written about various men who've come and gone, but this one was different.  This one had an air of wonder about it -- confusion mixed with euphoria.  She didn't understand why she was feeling so strongly for this man so quickly, and while her head was telling her that she needed to get a grip, that she needed to proceed slowly and cautiously, her soul was telling her that it was too late:  this man had her heart.  And the reasons might be beyond comprehension, but there it was.

I immediately picked up the phone.

"Kristin, THIS is what I was telling you about!"

"I know!" she responded.  "You've been telling me for 3 years!  This is how it was for you, right?"

"YES.  This this-doesn't-make-any-sense-but-I-really-don't-have-any-choice-I-have-to-be-with-this-person feeling?  THIS is the real thing.  And I have no idea if relationship of yours will go on forever or not, but see this feeling?  DO NOT EVER SETTLE FOR ANYTHING LESS.  You deserve NOTHING less.  Remember how you feel RIGHT NOW."

She sighed.  "It's amazing."

"Yes, it is," I agreed.

"Is it still like this for you?"

I thought for a moment.  "Well, sort of -- but it's different now.  Like I don't have that sort of crazy euphoria that I did when we first met, but there's still that really intense this-really-doesn't-make-any-sense-but-I-can't-imagine-it-any-differently emotion.  Like, on paper?  We still make no sense:  Marcus is athletic, I'm not.  I'm far more into books and literature than he ever will be.  I'm high strung, Marcus is always cool as a cucumber.  But for some reason, we just work.  We're just really meant to be together."

"That's great, Karen," she said. 

"Yeah," I concurred.

Marcus and I had an incredibly whirlwind courtship, and this Sunday, Father's Day, the summer solstice, is our 7th wedding anniversary.  I love him more now than I did when we married.  And I couldn't imagine my life without him, even if I tried.

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Happy Love Thursday, everyone.  Please leave your stories or links to your images and words of love in the comments below.

And may we all, at some point, experience that inexplicable, inescapable love.

Song:  I'm a believer by Smash Mouth.