Can We Live Happily Ever After?

A headline shocked me: 200.000 married couples end in divorce every year in Indonesia. Every year. Wow.

They met and fell in love, at first it was passionate and great. Days were lovely. Both were trying hard to please each other. But then one of them stop trying. Now there are only silent and awkward conversations. No more a cup of coffee in the morning, no more hellos or goodnights  and no more kisses on the forehead. They are drifting. Sweet memories start to fade away. He no longer knows her, and she no longer knows him. Some live that way till death do them apart, but most end up being part of the 200.000, divorcing. Sad isnt't it? But that is how it usually goes, right? Or not. I hope not.

That's the reality that hit my parents, my uncles and aunts, and who knows, may be my grandparents too. And sometimes it scares the hell of me. Would it hit me too someday? Well, I believe no, it wouldn't. I'll tell you why.

Others think that my husband and I are the perfect couple, but when I asked them, how do they define a perfect couple? Most of them say, "you both look very happy together" and I will smile and say, "yes, indeed we are". It seems cliche, but yes, we are a perfect couple, "Do I have a perfect husband?" Of course no! "Am I a perfect wife?" Absolutely not! Well, let me tell you a secret, it is because we take our wedding vows seriously! We really take these words seriously:
In sickness and in health, not only physically but also mentally ill (a.k.a bad-hair days which lead to bad-mood days). For richer, for poorer (once we were so penniless  to buy a dinner for two, instead we bought one, ate it together and went to bed starving). For better, for worse (while he has to suffer from my farthing, I have to suffer the smell of his feet, and not to mention, the snoring!). In joy and sadness (it was comforting to have his arm around me when I lost my job).
You see, the key lays on the way you treat not only the good times (because they are the easy parts) but also the bad ones (here are the hard parts). We've been through those times for 9 years and it was all started when the minister said: "as long as you both shall live?" I beamed and said, "Yes I do"

So  would we end up drifting? I choose to believe that we wouldn't. Because I believe the choice is ours to make. We can end it like those 200.000 couples, divorcing, or we can choose to live a 'happily-ever-after' life. We are the captain of this life boat.  The choice is yours.

So answering the question:  can we live happily ever after? I say we can. ;)