Approaching the 25-year mark with my partner

Later this month, it will be twenty-five years since we met on a beautiful summer evening in Moscow.

It’s tempting to say that we were kids when we met. Well, teenagers. But I also don’t want to overplay the we-were-so-young theme. We were young indeed, but our relationship was not immature — the love was as fast as it was strong. Just days into our relationship, we felt like we’d known each other forever. Soulmates? Maybe.

We have four kids.

So much has happened in these twenty-five years — this story is not easy to write. I don’t want to make it heavyweight or fill it out with pearls of wisdom.

I’m not wise. I don’t have lessons to share. I was just fortunate to meet someone who I found to be easy to be with.

But I am also hesitant to make this note too lightweight. We’ve had our struggles and bitter arguments, and there were many times when we hurt each other. I like quoting “One” by U2: “We’re one, but we’re not the same.” This beautiful song is about love but also talks about how we hurt each other.

Still, if I were to pick between “heavyweight” and “lightweight,” it’d be the latter. For all the struggles and the low days in our relationship, I feel like our union has been a fairly easy ride.

They say marriage is hard work. I’m not sure I agree with that. I mean, most things in life are hard work. You have to grind and overcome uncertainty. But I’m of the opinion that the best…