Originally written November 2025
I often say that anyone can run a marathon.
But that’s only half the truth.
Yes, almost anyone can do it — if they’ve counted the cost and are willing to pay the price.
And what’s the price?
Training.
Training in the rain when the road is soggy.
Training in winter when your legs refuse to move.
Training in summer when the humidity hugs you like a wet blanket straight from the dryer.
Training when you’re tired, sore, and your brain whispers:
Just stay in bed.
Once you understand the cost, you have to ask yourself:
Am I still willing to pay the price?
When I met my Jethro Gibbs look-alike — blue-eyed, silver-haired and effortlessly charming — Graeme was already 63.
And I remember wondering:
Will I still feel the same when he is no longer the strong, capable provider he is now?
Because just like running a marathon, almost anyone can get married.
But marriage isn’t a sprint.
And it certainly isn’t a burst-and-burn kind of love.
If someone tells you marriage guarantees a perfect life, they’re only telling you half the story.
Yes, marriage can bring out the best in you.
But it can also bring out the worst.
Sometimes it’s lonely.
And it is definitely not always 50–50.
Some days it’s 90–10.
And if you’re lucky, the 90 is yours. 
But that’s part of the cost.
And, for me, it’s a price worth paying.
Like marathon running, marriage can be messy.
You limp.
You crawl.
You question your sanity.
But you keep showing up.
Every. Single. Day.
As I often tell my friends:
“I’ll finish this race even if I have to walk, limp or crawl — because I didn’t sign up to start. I signed up to finish.”
Our marriage may not be an Instagram-worthy love story or a picture-perfect fairytale.
But it is real.
Built on laughter, patience, forgiveness, grace — and the occasional petty argument that has somehow escalated to the brink of World War III.
We counted the cost at the beginning.
And 21 years later, we are still willing to pay the price.
So here’s to the next half marathon of our marriage.
Happy 21st anniversary, my darling. 
Stories Along the Way 