Champagne Promise

The Physicist and I have been married for 27 years. We're practically a Ripley's exhibit in that we have stuck together through thick and thin. We do take the vows we made all those years ago seriously. But it's amazing we're still together when you consider how many personality factors there are against us and lead us into conflict. And when we spar it is with great intensity.

Take a look at what we brought into our marriage when we first said our "I do's."

Our Similarities

*We're each first born children with one younger sibling.

*We're both earth signs. He is a Taurus, and I am a Capricorn.

*We're both fiercely independent.

*We're both from very dysfunctional families.

*We're both very driven.

*We hate to lose.

*We're stubborn.

Our Differences

*He's analytical and I'm intuitive.

*He's a scientist and I'm a romance writer.

*He's a thinker and I'm an instinctive reactor.

*He's an immovable boulder and I'm a spontaneous combustion.

You can see where this is going... We lock horns a lot. We have major arguments a lot. And we argue loud. Heck we have had arguments about our arguments and about what actually qualifies as a argument. I remember his dad telling me that no one ever could best the Physicist in argument and I said, "That was until he met me."

The Physicist wanted a woman who would challenge him, and he got one. I wanted a man who wasn't a pushover, and I got one.

And that's okay because we genuinely love and respect each other. He's my best friend. He makes me happy, and we have fun together. We're perfect for each other. But we do argue a lot.

This brings me to our Champagne Promise. The Physicist bought an expensive bottle of champagne after a very big fight. He said that we could open it if we went without a major argument for at least seven days. That was three years ago. The running joke in our house was that we probably would have to wait until one of us dies before we could pop that champagne bottle's cork.

A little over a week ago we decided we would make the effort to open that bottle of champagne. It's expensive, but it's not that expensive. It could go bad. We wouldn't want to drink that champagne in our 90s or worse have to wait until one of us um, died. 

It's New Year's Day and I'm happy to report that today we will open the champagne!!!

I think we came close to losing the privilege a few times, but I'd look at the Physicist and say, "You do want to open that champagne, don't you?" And he would nod and bite back his argument.

Hmmmm, maybe I should buy another bottle of expensive champagne tomorrow and use it as leverage. Maybe we should try to last TWO weeks without a major argument... but then the making up is all so sweet ;-)