Leading up to Thanksgiving, each day I will blog about what I’m doing to be more grateful. I invite you to join me in a Month of Thanksgiving, and to share your thoughts, observations, suggestions and ideas.
Day 26: An open love letter to my husband, who I am beyond grateful for
Earlier this week, I wrote a post giving thanks for simple pleasures — things like Battlestar Galatica on Netflix, a chai tea latte with a shot of espresso (sounds weird, but it’s so good) and hearing a Duran Duran rerun  and finding myself singing along.
So today I switch from giving thanks for little things to big things. And I’ll start with the biggest. My husband.

John and I are coming up on our 10-year anniversary and I’m more in love with him today than when we got married.
He’s got all the stuff you’d want in a match.com ad — he’s smart, funny, handsome, articulate.  I’m grateful I landed such a catch.
On top of that, I’m grateful for all the ways he’s made my life better. For example:

• He’s so good at helping me keep perspective. I am so type A, especially compared to my laid back artist husband, and when I get frustrated by something, he helps me remember what really matters in life. He’ll ask me whether the thing I’m freaking out about is actually worth freaking out about, and usually the answer is no.
• He’s my number one cheerleader. Whether it’s something big like finishing business school or something small like making a new recipe, I can count on John for an enthusiastic, sincere pat on the back.
• He understands what I’m good and what I’m not. For example, I hate paying bills and balancing the checkbook and he takes care of those tasks so I don’t have to.
• He pampers me and makes me feel like the center of the universe. I had a stressful day this week and he made me a dinner loaded with my comfort foods and we ate while watching an episode of Battlestar. He knows what makes me happy.
• He makes me laugh. Pretty much all the time. With John, you never know when a practical joke or a zinger is coming and that’s part of what makes life with him so fun.
• He inspires me. It’d be hard to be married to someone so creative and talented without feeling some positive peer pressure.

• 

  
  We have fun exploring together, which expands my life experiences, whether that’s trying new restaurants or exploring new cities or new countries.
• He’s different from me in some pretty significant ways. Even when he finds that frustrating, he tells me he wouldn’t want to change me because then I wouldn’t be the woman he fell in love with. Trying to show him that same consideration has helped remind me there are many ways to see the world. It’s good for developing my patience, something the type A in me needs to practice continuously.

Being married isn’t always easy. John and I are both strong-willed — or let’s be honest, stubborn — people. Sometimes finding compromise is a lot harder than just doing it my way. Sometimes I just can’t believe he could see things any other way than mine.
That’s part of the beauty of marriage. It forces you to reexamine things you take for granted. If someone you love and respect disagrees, maybe there’s another perspective worth considering.
We’re stronger as a couple than as individuals because of that.
And c’mon, doesn’t he look awfully cute in that bowtie?