No matter who you are, you have a limited number of funny stories and jokes.
You have a finite list of special talents and tricks.
You have a set amount of quirky habits and preferences.
You have certain faces you make, certain things you say, certain nervous ticks, certain chewing noises, certain ways of sleeping, certain favorite movies and TV shows, certain likes and dislikes, and certain ways you behave, speak, and just generally exist.
You are not, in short, a well of infinite possibility. You are human, and there is only so much another person can uncover.
If that person is your spouse, there comes a time when they have essentially seen the entirety of You.
I don't know exactly how long you have to be married for that to happen, but it probably takes considerably less than 10 years for them to have experienced 99% of what you have to offer.
That's the point when, if they decide to stick around, you know they love you.
Unconditionally.
Terry has heard every one of my little anecdotes. She has a thorough understanding of my faults and shortcomings, along with my good points. She can generally guess how I'm going to act and react in any given situation.
There is very little I say or do that surprises her.
The same is true for me when it comes to her.
And yet here we are, 32 years down the road of marriage and more than 38 years into our relationship. Without ever actually saying it, we have come to an agreement that despite anything about us that is less than attractive, the positives outweigh the negatives and we're going to ride it out together as long as we can.
That's my favorite thing about being in a long-term relationship: You've seen the entire show, yet you're sticking around for whatever comes next...even if you're pretty certain you know what it is.
With apologies to Benny Goodman, Bette Midler and anyone else who has ever performed the song, that right there is the story of, that's the glory of, love.
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