Monday March 26, 2012

What a beautiful day March 26th is. We’ve been celebrating our 7 year anniversary today. I can’t believe we’ve been together so long, but at the same time, I can’t remember life without him. We didn’t do anything spectacular to celebrate other than have a nice dinner after his session at Project Walk. I was looking forward to the most delicious seared ahi tuna salad all day, just as Nick couldn’t wait to devour his favorite apple and blueberry cobbler for dessert.

There was plenty of talk today about how we’ve made it so long, and how it has never felt as though we’ve had to “stick it out”. We’ve been through a lot together in such a short time; my broken leg when we first started dating, several career changes, my Mom dying, his folks parting ways, my Dad’s quadruple bypass and two knee replacements, a failed business venture together, buying a house, many friends dying, and now his disabling injury. We’ve done more than just survive, we had thrived. We’re closer and more in love now than ever, despite some of our new physical limitations.

I was not initially attracted to Nick. In fact, it took months for me to “give in” after he expressed interest in me. But once I gave him a chance, I never looked back. We dove right into a serious commitment, and then slowly began building a life together. I’m grateful that we had six amazing years together before he got hurt. I wonder if I would have been so strong and unwavering if this had happened within the first few years. Thank God we weren’t tested with this sooner.

I truly believe we’ve made it through the worst of it and that life is getting better everyday. He receives his next set of legs tomorrow which means he won’t have to wear three thick socks on each leg anymore. These legs should last for several years. It’s a strange thought to consider that he will require artificial limbs for the rest of his life in order to walk or even stand up. Like me and my chapstick, Nick will be totally reliant upon those carbon fiber legs.