18 lessons from 18 years of marriage

Katie and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary last weekend and have been together for over 22 years. She’s awesome.

Our wedding day was a memorable one, especially for our Denver sports family, as the Colorado Avalanche won game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final about 300 yards away from the reception.

Earlier this week, a coworker asked if I had any insights or secrets to a long marriage. Well, since I mix pods, I rattled a few of the first things that came to mind.

So after having some more time to think about it, I thought I would share 18 lessons that I think have played a role in our marriage.

Disclaimer: I didn’t collaborate with Katie before posting this, so she’ll either be pleasantly surprised by my spontaneity, or I may have to append a lesson #19, check with your wife before posting 18 lessons from your marriage on the internet!

18 lessons that I learned from 18 years of marriage

  1. Have things you do together, have things you do on your own
  2. There are different stages of life you’ll go through together, embrace it
  3. Don’t go to bed mad (this is one of Katie’s rules)
  4. Embrace the in-laws (I married a whole family (and extended family))
  5. Never take her perfect last bite (also known as the Katie bite)
  6. Things work out better when you set expectations
  7. Show gratitude
  8. Balancing roles of mom, spouse, friend, career, daughter isn’t easy
  9. Don’t always say the first thing that pops in your mind 🙂
  10. Have mutual friends, have your own friends
  11. Celebrate wins
  12. Deliberately grow together
  13. Buy an ear and nose hair trimmer
  14. Go all in to support whatever it is she is passionate about
  15. Work hard at staying engaged and being a good dad
  16. Have a sense of humor and be able to laugh at yourself
  17. Share your goals and dreams with each other
  18. Go for long walks

But the key insight that I want you to take away from this blog is not the 18 things that I listed above, but to think about your own 1,2, 18, or 50 things that you learned from the relationship with your partner.

We were able to catch an Avalanche playoff game this year at the Pepsi Center. The last time they won the Cup was the evening that we tied the knot.

If you liked the blog, please share it!

Author: Tony Mauro

I grew up in Denver Colorado and I have been mixing pods my whole life by working with my friends and making friends at work. I fell in love with my wife at Colorado State in 1997 and we have two young girls and a yellow lab. I'm fortunate to have a group of lifelong friends that have inspired, supported, and made me laugh for years. At work, I am experienced management consultant focused on client delivery of complex projects, team building, and building culture. I'm a self-help junkie that values personal connections, uses self-deprecating humor, and aspires to be a husband, dad, and friend.

One thought on “18 lessons from 18 years of marriage”

Comments are closed.