So, about getting engaged or married

I was at the Crossfit box the other day talking with a friend who recently got engaged.  I asked him if anything had changed since the engagement, he said no.  Then I thought, what a stupid question to ask (that journalism degree is really paying off).  This of course led me to think about when I got engaged and then married, people asked me that same question a lot. 

First, lets face it, odds are there is that blissful immediate honeymoon period, even after you get engaged, but things are not going to stay that blissful just because you said yes or I do.  So I think the best you can realistically expect is for things to stay the same, the only other option is for things to get worse...yikes.

So do you really want things to change?  If you do, then you probably should not be getting engaged or married.  If there is a major sticking point with your partner before you take the plunge (sometimes into a bucket of what the...), then most likely they are not going to change.  If you think they will, can I interest you in some property that I do not currently own?

Everybody has flaws (even me?!? Yes, especially me).  I am not saying you need to love their flaws, they are flaws after all, but you had better be able to live with them.  Of course I am not talking about somebody being a danger to you, a liar, a spy for the former Soviet Union, etc., I am talking about the little stuff (which can add up).  If the way they eat annoys you to the point you want to jump across the table and stab them in the neck, you might want to reconsider them (I am assuming you will be eating on a daily basis, I know I do).  If the fact that they leave dirty clothes on the floor, or do not make the bed, or have night toots, or need to be reminded (read as prodded) to do the dishes sends you into a rage, then you are probably settling. That is not fair to either party involved, unless it is a Green Card marriage, and I am not here to judge.

You are going to live with this person for a long time (hopefully), so if the little stuff is going get to you...well...it will make a for looooong relationship, regardless of the time.  God help you, if you have kids and you can not have a civil relationship.  Kids are a little bit more of a commitment than a marriage (I know that may come as a surprise).

I know I am not the perfect person.  I also know that I was not, and will not be, the perfect husband (I feel the need to go on record to say I will be the best husband I can be).  On the other hand, I also know that my future wife (c'mon lucky number two), will not be a perfect person or the perfect wife.  Perfection does not exist (like Sasquatch or Mila Kunis, she's just too pretty to be that funny).  If you can accept that, at least in my moronic opinion, you have a good chance.

Dang...this post was perfect.