An Anniversary

Anniversaries are funny things. There are those that commemorate events that have had a widespread impact -- be it on a world, national, or community scale. There are anniversaries of things that the world would like to forget -- like the Holocaust, September 11 or the Bali bombings. These days of remembrance serve to honour those lives lost, and to remind us of just how fragile human life is. There are anniversaries to remember people's lives -- national heroes like Rizal day, Bonifacio day, Remembrance Day. There are annivesaries that celebrate a start of something -- Independence days, National days.

And then, there are personal anniversaries. Little reminders that our individual lives are peppered with significant events. Birthdays are one. They invite us to take stock of the year gone by, and look forward to the year ahead. There are death anniversaries, when we remember those whom we have loved. Special events, like graduations, can sometimes be remembered on a yearly basis, depending on the person's sentimentality. Sometimes, though, these can fade into the background and you have a vague "sometime in 1995" memory.

Relationship anniversaries. The biggest ones, of course, are the marriage ones. When a couple remind themselves about why they're together, and look back on the life they've created together. (Not having been married before, I can only assume this is what happens. But it's a nicer sentiment than thinking couples reach each milestone and think "wow, we've made it this far?!")

Everyone thinks it's the girl who is obsessed with remembering anniversaries. Like, it's the girls who feel that their partner is remiss in their love if they aren't showered with presents on a regular basis. In my relationship, it's my boyfriend who is obsessed with dates. We've celebrated every month-aversary. And he knows what day of the week the 6th of every month falls on. We aren't big on presents, I have to buy my own flowers if I want some colour in my flat. For me, it's about spending time with each other and remembering what makes us so special, and discovering something new about each other. I like to think that we do this every day, but with the hectic pace of day-to-day living, etc, sometimes this can get pushed into the background. For us, the 6th of every month is about us. A day we forget about everyday stresses and enjoy each other, like it was our first date.

Happy 7 months, babe.