Don't Get Old On Me

Is it possible to be young at heart and still wear cardigans?

Photo by Cyrus Chew on Unsplash

Recently, my husband asked me not to get old.

He didn’t mean this in a literal way. We often talk about how aging is a privilege.

He was referring to my general disposition and my penchant for being grouchy. He is the giver of the name No Fun Gloria, after all. It was in jest, but like all jokes, there is always some truth lingering below the surface.

When we did our marriage prep classes with Father Remo twelve years ago, the one thing that truly stuck with me was when Father Remo said that couples were supposed to help each other get into heaven.

Now, I’m a recovering Catholic. I have a lot of thoughts about the Catholic Church, and I’ll be honest with you, I haven’t been to a mass since before the pandemic in 2020. I’m definitely having a crisis of faith, which is something I want to explore at some point, but this is not that. When I think about Father Remo’s words, I like to think about them in a less spiritual way.

I think when choosing a partner, should you choose to marry or not, the person you decide to be with should be someone who helps you be a better version of yourself. Someone who pushes and supports you and is openly proud of you. This is the type of love I was looking for and is the type of love I have found in my husband. I do hope he feels the same way about me. Do I make him a better version of himself? I don’t know. At the very least, I’m most proud that he is a much more adventurous eater than when we met, and that makes going out to dinner much more enjoyable.

So, when he leaned over to me the other night and said, “Don’t get old on me. Okay?” Those words just swam around and lingered. It’s been at least three days since he this to me, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it.