My Ballast

This week, Mr. W and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary. Well, I shouldn't say "celebrated" because we were about 120 miles apart from one another on the day. We "reached" our three-year anniversary. That feels more accurate.

I was lucky because two of my dearest life coach buddies happened to be staying with me for the week, so they took me to dinner and we toasted my relationship. It was lovely (and delicious—if you ever find yourself at Los Olivos Cafe, order the short ribs) but there was an enormously important component missing.

Last night yet another coach friend came up to the Maris Ranch to spend the night and as we huddled around the coffee table drinking wine and gobbling quinoa salad, she asked me what was going on with my business endeavors.

"All I care about right now is being with my husband," I said.

The other day I did the math and of the three years that Mr. W and I have been locked in wed, one and a half of those have been spent living in different cities.

Half of the time we've been married, we've been apart.

"All I want to do is be with him and work on our house and start really living the life we've been dreaming about for the past few years."

I told her how I'm not my best self when he's away. He brings out something better in me, but more importantly, he keeps me grounded in a way no one and nothing else does.

The title of this post and the boat shot under it might lead you to think I know something about sailing. I do not. But I do know that when I'm away from my husband, I feel like an untethered sail, flapping wildly in the wind. When I'm reconnected to him, I can handle the gusts again.

The girls joked about how he was like my little energetic stability pillar. Which he totally is.

The conversation turned and as we poured more wine, we suddenly heard a commotion come from the kitchen.

I thought it was the cat until all three of the girls shouted, "Oh my gosh, it's him!"

He surprised me and came up a whole night early to be with me closer to our anniversary.

And then he proceeded to hang out and drink wine with my girlfriends and me.

I don't know how I got so lucky to have such a strong, steady person as my own. But I will take him and thank him again and again as he helps me weather every last gust of wind that comes our way.