Eyes Wide Open: Six Months of Marriage

Real Talk Vol. 9

You know what nobody tells you about marriage?

It’s not the fairytale, the filtered IG reel, or the cute little “Mr. & Mrs.” mugs from Target.

It’s work. It’s revealing. It’s.…whew.

Six months in, and I already feel like I’ve lived a decade of lessons.

I used to think marriage meant growing together. Traveling together. Evolving together.

Turns out, together feels different when one of you is evolving and the other is just….existing.

I’ve always believed marriage was about partnership.

But lately, I’ve been side-eyeing the word “partner” like partner where? Partner how?

Because being married to someone who doesn’t truly listen or communicate feels less like love and more like theater. And honey, I didn’t sign up to perform.

I want to be free to express myself, to dream big, to book the trip, to say what I feel without tiptoeing around egos.

I want a connection that runs deep, not one that hides in silence.

And I’m not upset or angry, I’m just aware now.

Aware that love without accountability is just a warm blanket with holes in it.

Aware that a man can propose because he loves the idea of you….but not be ready to rise with you.

The past six months have been less about romance and more about revelation.

I’ve learned I value independence.

I’ve learned I crave emotional intelligence.

I’ve learned that “we” doesn’t mean much if I’m the only one doing the emotional heavy lifting.

And I’m not here to stage a scene or play pretend.

I’m simply calling it what it is, without the performance.

I deserve depth.

I deserve evolution.

I deserve a love that listens, not one that just looks pretty in pictures.

So here I am, six months in and eyes wide open.

Still soft. Still certain about what I deserve.

But no longer romanticizing red flags just because the dress was white.

–C