Ice Cream and Absolutes

When Jeremy and I were registering for wedding gifts, we held hands, wandering around in a happy haze, knowing the whole of Target was wide open to us. We could get whatever we wanted. The bullseye was our oyster. We talked excitedly, discussing where we would place the toaster, which shower curtain and towels to get, and if the coffee maker was really worth it. It was fantastic. 
Until we got to the small appliances. Jeremy stopped dead in his tracks in front of the Sunbeam homemade ice cream maker, forcing me to take a few steps backward or let go of his hand. 
"This," he said. "We need one of these." 
"Uh. What?" I asked. 
"I need this ice cream maker. We're getting it," he said, aiming the gun at the price tag.
"Wait,  no!" I shouted, holding my hand in front of the laser beam. "We're not getting that. What would we do with an ice cream maker? Where would we put it? It's enormous!"
I saw Jeremy set his jaw stubbornly, and I knew I was in for it. Ok, I thought. That's fine. I can dig my heels in too.
"My grandad always makes homemade ice cream. I'm from Fox Hill. It's what we do. I'm going to do it too." 
This went on for over ten minutes, escalating to a near fever pitch. At that point I threw my hands up in the air and yelled, "You know what?! I just-- I can't do this. I can't believe we're doing this! I'm not going to do this. I have to walk away from you right now." And I did. I left and walked around Target for another 15 minutes, fuming. I can't believe I'm going to marry this man. What am I thinking?? 
I won that fight. I don't know why it was so important. That was ten years ago now. This weekend, Jeremy and I are celebrating our ten year anniversary. I want to shout it from the rooftops. 
We did it. We made it. In spite of fights in Target over ice cream makers. In spite of all the people who told us we wouldn't make it this far, and those who tried to talk us out of it. And yes, there were quite a few. More than there should have been, that's for sure. But God knew better than they or I ever could have. 
I like to say, when people ask me about my relationship with Jeremy, "Jeremy was never my idea of perfect. But that's not what I needed. I had my perfect, and he wrecked my heart. Jeremy is God's perfect for me." He drives me crazy. He makes me question my sanity on a weekly basis, makes me want to scream and throw things. But he makes me laugh. He makes me safe. He makes me proud. 

I know that ten years isn't it. I know we have a long way to go still. Decades more road ahead of us. But ten years is something to be proud of, and God knows I'm as proud of this as anything I've ever accomplished. 

Jeremy likes to make use of absolutes in an argument. "You never do....", or "you always say...." So many times I tell him to stop using absolutes. They're often untrue. There's no such thing as "always" and "never" when it comes to an argument. You can't tell me I always leave the bread out on the counter. Because sometimes I don't. And you can't say I never plug your electric razor back in, because sometimes I do. 
But here are a few absolutes I don't mind using: Happy anniversary, Babe. I will always love you, always be glad I didn't listen to the naysayers, always have your back. I will never leave you, never remember past wrongs, never hit you when you're down. I'll always encourage you to be the best version of yourself, whether you like it or not. I'll never let you sink so deep into a funk that you forget who you are, what your calling is, and how worthy you truly are. 

And to prove all of that, in honor of our ten year anniversary, I'll even let you win for once. I hope you love your new ice cream maker as much as I love you. 

-M