Reality Sets In

Monday morning was hard--48 hours of being a total princess, the center of everyone's attention, and the total master of my domain, followed by an average Monday at work. Ok, not so much an average Monday. Everyone wanted to hear about the wedding, there were gifts given and cards and well wishes and lots and lots of hugs. And I had the table decorations with me for company. But still, it was a lot like the day after Christmas.

Now, the bouquet is ready to get thrown away (in the woods, of course), the table decorations have lost their luster, and I'm starting to get back to normal. Married life is returning to the patterns of pre-married life, only now Ivan has a ring on his finger. We get up, we make coffee, we eat breakfast, we go to work, we come home, we make dinner, we read our books (or sort through 400 wedding photos or write thank you notes), we go to bed.

Our life is a simple one, but one that is newly reinvigorated with fullness, richness, and meaning. Suddenly, Ivan's wedding gift of wool clogs to keep my feet warm becomes the "comforting hand" of our vows, my gift to him of graphic pens the "call to adventure" of drawing again. The patterns of our life are the same, but the meanings are suddenly quite different.