Romance Vs. Rapids

In the Tree House: Relationships Vs. The Rapids

By: Samantha Stroube Daviss

We have all heard that marriage takes work and effort, right? Or any relationship for that matter…friendships, partnerships, and business relationships. They all take work. They don’t just flow along like a gentle stream meandering its way down the hillside through and open country meadow.

Relationships are more like the Colorado River, if you will pardon the metaphor; it flows along smoothly through the gorgeous canyons with the soft sounds of water running over rocks and fish splashing as they swim upstream; then all of the sudden the bottom drops out, and you are headed into the worst rapids of your life.

You can’t seem to get your head above water, to gain control of your life or the goings on in your relationships, then all of the sudden it’s docile again. My husband and mine’s theory is [with absolutely no disrespect for God], but our theory or rather question is…”What in the world was God thinking putting man and woman together and saying ‘Okay, now make it work’?” We don’t think he could have put two more different species together and expected them to make it work smoothly.

But with all joking aside, it’s the truth. Men and women couldn’t be more different ; we view love differently, we view child rearing, cleaning, and all in all life differently. But somehow, someway, God knew what he was doing, and we all seem to make it work.

I personally think he got really bored one day and decided to see what would happen between a man and a woman, and well we all know how it got started…a little rocky with an apple, a serpent, and a garden. So that was just a recipe for disaster. But like I said we all make it work, with a few ups and downs and rapids along the way.

And with the bad times, come a lot of great times; and those are the times that create our memories, our smiles, and the laughter. Every single one of us is on an emotional rollercoaster, one day we are madly in love and the next day we just “like” the person we are spending the rest of our lives with, but it’s those days of passion and being madly in love with your mate that you need to cling to.

To me it’s the most amazing feeling that comes over me. I always love my husband, he is my true match and my best friend, but the days that I “fall in love” with him all over again are truly magical to me. It gives me goose bumps to feel about this man after years of marriage, three kids, jobs, and a house to run the same way I felt about him when we were dating.

Not only does it put a little wind back in my romantic sails, but it also puts a little spring in my step, and a little youth in my pep. I sometimes feel like a teenager again. It really is completely random, he doesn’t really have to do anything special or out of the ordinary; maybe it’s just because I feel extremely blessed to have found my soul mate that makes me laugh every single day, makes me smile, and allows me to feel safe and protected.

So remember, that even though there are those days that you feel like you are riding the rapids through your relationship, just know there are smoother waters ahead, so just hang on tight and enjoy the ride; and especially cherish those moments of smooth waters, and take the time to “float down the river together while enjoying the scenery”.