My One-Man Support System

It seems to be the time of year, or maybe just the time of life, when a lot of people I know are getting married. For some, like in the case of both of my in-laws, it's a re-start. For others, mostly my friends, it's something they've been dreaming about for a while, or at least hoping for. I sincerely hope, for everyone I know, that it's the best decision they'll ever make.

For a time, I think I was in denial. I met Matt when I was 16 at a friend's Halloween party, where I pretty promptly lured him into the blacklight room for some smoochin'. That's right, I've always been ballsy. Then it was just conversation after conversation on the phone where I felt, for the first time in my life, that someone actually GOT me. He was really interested in all the weird things I said, all the time. But I was in denial--how could it be possible to find a soulmate when you're still in high school?

I guess stranger things have happened in this world. Matt and I will have our two-year wedding anniversary on September 30, and we'll have been together for 10 years on October 30. I still couldn't be happier. He puts up with my mood swings, my high-blood-sugar induced crankiness, my demands to look at the kittens when we go by the pet shop, even my general laziness when it comes to housework. I can take him with me to doctor's appointments. I take him to Gary's office, and he asks even dorkier questions than I do. He certainly knows his way around a set of data.

But when times get tough, or when I feel like I'm at my lowest, that's one time when having a great partner matters the most. When I start crying because I feel like my blood sugars will never be normal, my A1c will never come down, my self-care will never be good enough, I hate my body with its cankles and dysfunction and lazy attitude...he just hugs me as tight as he can and tells me it'll be okay. He tells me he believes in me, I'll be able to do better if I just stay strong and positive. Hell, he says I'm so sexy, he never even notices my swollen ankles.

I hope everyone out there who's getting/gotten married recently has a partner who is perfect for them. I hope we all can find our special someone who always knows the right things to say, and more importantly, always means them.

Oh, and one more thing about my husband? His wallet is more disorganized than my purse, and I scold him for not keeping his money in numerical order; yet, in that bi-fold leather mess is a ratty old Post-It note folded in half. On it is my name and my phone number, hand-written by me, circa 1998, October 30 to be exact. Maybe this year, on our anniversary, I should get it laminated so it'll at least last another 10 years.