I love that this wasn’t really a story about a marriage. It was a story about noticing one.
Sometimes the deepest love reveals itself in the smallest interactions.
Sparrow and I been married for almost 15 years and have friends who make that number look like the time it takes to fry an egg.
We’ve learned to laugh at ourselves.
We’ve gotten to know ourselves from being witnessed for who we are. Bad hair days included.
I think the reason it’s rare these days is because folks are unprepared for what happens after the hormonal rush fades and someone needs to be cared for after lung surgery.
It’s wonderful and harrowing. And as long as you jump in and weather the storms together, it can last.
I think 15 years is a long time, too. There's a lot of wisdom in what you say here about caring for someone after lung surgery, or any life threatening thing, I think.
I've been thinking about this a lot lately. And I think you put your finger on the essence of what I see with Mack and Myla. They _are_ one. Two parts, but one entity. They are as bound together as pair might be.
In our house, we do have close associations, but I think, by comparison, they are pretty shallow. Not shallow for us, who are in them, but we just don't have the long term aging thing that you, or Mack and Myla do. I feel a bit like an outsider, or like I'm at the kids table. I know there's something there, and I want to think I understand it, but I also doubt that I do.
Regardless of understanding, I do appreciate them, and this wonderful demonstration they show every time I or they visit.
And you know, something else.... We are not at all your common midwest married couple in this house. But M&M - they don't care at all. Absolutely no judgement of any sort. That's pretty amazing by itself. I guess maybe they have lived past the point where that mattered to them, if it ever did.
Anyway, thank you for you wonderful comment. M&M have been well received by the six or so readers I have, so I'll be watching them for another story worth putting down. They are a hoot to watch, I have to say.
Well, your one vote has them in the lead for continuation. Like a lot of my stuff, they are fictionalized real people. More real than fiction, actually. Delightful folks.
It's good to find these relationship examples. I'm fortunate enough to have a few friends who are nearing their 25-30 year anniversaries, and I know it wasn't always sunshine and lollipops, but they work, and continue to work. And it's fun to hang out with couples who finish each other's sandwiches.
My life has taken a different path, but I'm also happy. It took a while, and some mistakes were made in an attempt to conform to the norm. But I've learned by watching a ton of different examples what works and doesn't for me. And I value all the friends I made along the way. ("Friends are for a season, a reason, or a lifetime." as an ex of mine used to say.)
Millie, the magic of this story is that Mack and Myla never become relationship experts or inspirational figures in the conventional sense. They simply keep showing up as themselves, and through that consistency reveal what decades of shared life can look like. I was especially moved by the small details: the perfectly timed clarifications, the linked hands, the quiet attentiveness with which Mack helps Myla stay connected to the conversation. Those moments communicate something larger than advice ever could, because they show love as a daily practice expressed through patience, familiarity, and care. Thank you for introducing readers to two people whose lives make a compelling case for the beauty of growing together over time.
I love that this wasn’t really a story about a marriage. It was a story about noticing one.
Sometimes the deepest love reveals itself in the smallest interactions.
Sparrow and I been married for almost 15 years and have friends who make that number look like the time it takes to fry an egg.
We’ve learned to laugh at ourselves.
We’ve gotten to know ourselves from being witnessed for who we are. Bad hair days included.
I think the reason it’s rare these days is because folks are unprepared for what happens after the hormonal rush fades and someone needs to be cared for after lung surgery.
It’s wonderful and harrowing. And as long as you jump in and weather the storms together, it can last.
Thank you for this thoughtful reply.
I think 15 years is a long time, too. There's a lot of wisdom in what you say here about caring for someone after lung surgery, or any life threatening thing, I think.
I've been thinking about this a lot lately. And I think you put your finger on the essence of what I see with Mack and Myla. They _are_ one. Two parts, but one entity. They are as bound together as pair might be.
In our house, we do have close associations, but I think, by comparison, they are pretty shallow. Not shallow for us, who are in them, but we just don't have the long term aging thing that you, or Mack and Myla do. I feel a bit like an outsider, or like I'm at the kids table. I know there's something there, and I want to think I understand it, but I also doubt that I do.
Regardless of understanding, I do appreciate them, and this wonderful demonstration they show every time I or they visit.
And you know, something else.... We are not at all your common midwest married couple in this house. But M&M - they don't care at all. Absolutely no judgement of any sort. That's pretty amazing by itself. I guess maybe they have lived past the point where that mattered to them, if it ever did.
Anyway, thank you for you wonderful comment. M&M have been well received by the six or so readers I have, so I'll be watching them for another story worth putting down. They are a hoot to watch, I have to say.
-Mills
I really hope you write more about these people. I am fascinated.
Well, your one vote has them in the lead for continuation. Like a lot of my stuff, they are fictionalized real people. More real than fiction, actually. Delightful folks.
It's good to find these relationship examples. I'm fortunate enough to have a few friends who are nearing their 25-30 year anniversaries, and I know it wasn't always sunshine and lollipops, but they work, and continue to work. And it's fun to hang out with couples who finish each other's sandwiches.
My life has taken a different path, but I'm also happy. It took a while, and some mistakes were made in an attempt to conform to the norm. But I've learned by watching a ton of different examples what works and doesn't for me. And I value all the friends I made along the way. ("Friends are for a season, a reason, or a lifetime." as an ex of mine used to say.)
Millie, the magic of this story is that Mack and Myla never become relationship experts or inspirational figures in the conventional sense. They simply keep showing up as themselves, and through that consistency reveal what decades of shared life can look like. I was especially moved by the small details: the perfectly timed clarifications, the linked hands, the quiet attentiveness with which Mack helps Myla stay connected to the conversation. Those moments communicate something larger than advice ever could, because they show love as a daily practice expressed through patience, familiarity, and care. Thank you for introducing readers to two people whose lives make a compelling case for the beauty of growing together over time.