The young newlyweds

Experts with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics say that you’ll have more than 12 jobs in your lifetime. In each of the jobs that I’ve had so far in my career, whether it was in a corporate office building or a corner room in our house, I’ve carried a small 3 X 4 picture of my wife and me and placed it a prominent spot on my desk, usually right beneath my monitor. The picture is from our wedding day. 

I’ve spilled coffee on the picture countless times and it’s faded, but I like to start each day looking at the photo. My wife is wearing her white wedding gown and holding a bouquet of red roses, white carnations and baby’s breadth and I’m in a black tuxedo. We look so young, we look like babies. 

I think often about what I would tell the young man looking back at me. 

–Hold tight to the woman next to you. You’re going to need each other. 

–Get on your hands and knees each day and thank God for introducing you, because goodness knows you don’t deserve this much luck and good fortune.

–Trust the woman beside you. She’s smarter and has more wisdom than you’ll ever have. You’re out of your league, be grateful.

–You’re going to lose your looks. Yes, that beautiful curly hair? See ya later. You’ll keep the dimple, but it will get lost at times in the middle age bulge. However, what you’re feeling in your heart — that is all real and will never go away.  

–Learn to say you’re “sorry” and mean it. Yes, never go to bed angry and say I love you frequently. You can’t say it enough.

–The woman that you’re holding in the photo knows your secrets and loves you anyway. It’s okay. 

–Things that you think you care about a lot right now, will not mean anything decades later. Things that mean little now, will carry enormous weight in the future. You’re not going to figure everything out right from the start, that’s okay, just put on some nimble sneakers and go with the flow. With a little love, it will all work itself out. 

Oh, there’s probably a few other things that I would tell him, but the biggest message I would want to leave him would be this: Have fun and enjoy the ride.