Living 20 years outside of the box.

In 1987, I met a boy. He was different than any other boy I had ever met in my young life. I was 20, going on 21, and already engaged to another boy. The boy who was to be my husband was what I was used to; he lived his life inside the box and very much expected me to live happily ever after in that box with him. I was never one for boxes and very much fought anyone who tried to stuff me into one. Needless to say, my first marriage fell apart, as did my second one, but they say the third time is the charm, and in my case, that was true, and here I am, married to the boy who lived his life outside the box, for 20 years.

There are so many things I can say about him, there are so many things I love about him, but I’m not going to bore you with all those things. This boy of mine has never once tried to force me into a box, partly because he has never seen a box he liked and partly because he loves me for me. The last 20 years weren’t always smooth sailing, but I can honestly say they were easy. I woke up this morning remembering how we dropped the kids off at the bus stop and eloped. It felt so right, and I wouldn’t change a thing 20 years later.

Now, if you know me, you know this sweet life of mine has not always been sweet. We have had our fair share of very high highs and very low lows, but we had them together, and we put our heads down and plowed on. We pushed our way out of the lows and managed to stay intact. I’m most proud of that—the hard times—the low times. While it sounds so cliche, the lows have made the highs that much sweeter.

He is my happy place, my reason for being, and I am the best version of myself because of him. We’ve built a life that makes me proud. We have two great kids who are happy, in love, and successful. They even like our company, which is an added bonus. The world right now is a bit topsy-turvy, to say the least, but life is sweet in my little snow globe. I highly recommend life outside the box; that’s where all the good stuff, the juicy stuff, and the breathtaking stuff live. Get yourself someone who gently pushes you out of the box you built, or you let others make for you and see what’s out there. You’ll be able to do it, I promise.

Enough of this mushy, overly sweet post; I just want to give the 20 years some ink. I wanted to tell 21-year-old Gina that it might have taken her a couple of years and some bumps and that following her heart was the right thing to do. I’d tell 21-year-old Gina that if you follow your heart right outside of the box, life out there is worth the uncertainty and uncomfortable. I’d tell 21-year-old Gina that 58-year-old Gina is so proud of her for living outside of the box. Fight your way outside of that box, be kind, and look out for the people who you can help, and life can be that much sweeter.