Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Day 15-Something or someone you couldn't live without, because you've tried living without it

I will say this, I can live without things.  It wouldn't be my first choice, but we've done it before, and I would do it again if I had to.  We've lived without cable, and a computer, with minimal minutes on our cell phones and a tighter budget than I care to remember.  We've lived with only 1 vehicle for a long time, with 3 adults and an infant in a 2 bedroom apartment, that was cozy.  Yet we have NEVER been without food, clothes, water, heat, air conditioning, plumbing, all the things required to live a comfortable life.  We have always had the everyday things we all take for granted, like the things I listed above, and a roof over our heads, a vehicle, whether it be 1 or more, we had it and it ran.  I have never gone hungry or cold, I have never had to walk to work. 

In fact, the times I refer to above, when things were so tight, and we didn't have the "luxuries" were because I wasn't working.  Curt and I agreed to go without those things so I could stay home with Gunnar. 

So when I saw this question, I knew there were quite a few things I could live without.  I can live without the material things life has to offer.  What I cannot live without, what I will not live without is love, trust, honesty, and communication.  These are the building blocks for a relationship that can surpass all trials.

I know this would not have been the same answer I would have given a short time ago.  I would have easily answered with one of the many material things above, but I have learned a great deal about myself in recent months, and I know now that the real things I could not live without are not material or physical.  They are the things I get from my most valuable relationships. 

My marriage first and foremost. My husband has stood by my side through good times and bad.  We have been married 7 years as of 2/21/11 and have had many trials throughout our marriage, yet never once has he abandoned me in my time of need, nor has he even given thought to jumping ship during even the roughest of times.  Instead, his willingness to see our marriage through those dark times is what gave me the courage to stand beside him in his quest to join the Army.  I knew that it was time for me to stand by him, no matter how difficult the task.  A marriage is about give and take, and all I had been doing for a long time was taking.  It was my turn to give something back to my husband.  I can tell you that this decision has only brought us closer and reminded us both of how much we truly love each other and that there is nothing we won't do to support one another in our time of need.  It's an amazing feeling to give a small piece of that back to him after he spent so long giving to me.

The same can be said for my relationship with my parents and sister.  Love, trust, honesty, and communication are the core of these relationships too.  My family has always supported me as well, they are there no matter what, through the good and the bad.  They have been there to pick up the pieces more times than I care to count, and they have been there to celebrate accomplishments as well.  Their honesty can be brutal at times, but those seem to be the times I need the brutal honesty and no one else wants to bare the burden.  Their love is unconditional, and I have always trusted them as I know they have always trusted me.  Communication is the hardest part of any relationship I believe, and my family remains no different, but we do our best, and we work through it when we are "human".

I believe that true and lasting friendships come down to the core values as well.  If you don't have love, trust, honesty, and communication in any relationship, then you don't have the foundation for a lasting relationship.

So it is those things with which I cannot live without, love, trust, honesty, and communication, because without my husband, my family and my friends my life would be truly empty and void of all that I hold dear.  So no matter how much I like my material things, I need the things I have listed above in my life.

As for the someone, that is easy, Curt and Gunnar.  I don't think I need to say anymore, those are self explanatory.

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