57 Years

It saddens me when I see these people who get together and three days later are "so madly in love." They're the reason the word holds no meaning anymore. You want to know what love is? Watch my grandfather's smile when he pats my grandmother on the knee and calls her "little bit." Watch her tell him he's silly but every single time he leaves the house, look out the window for him until he comes back. Watch him help her walk when her knee hurts too badly, or look in her eyes when he sings along to one of her favorite songs. 57 years of everything life could throw at them, from the Korean war to the death of their oldest daughter, hasn't driven them apart. Or maybe they just haven't let it. That's not to say that they're perfect; no one is, and they both know that. But I've learned so much from them and I truly wish that everyone out there had someone like that they could look at, if only to remind themselves whenever they need it... love is real, and tangible, and someone somewhere will make everything else in this world worth the pain. So don't settle for someone you know won't be there to hold you when you're 80. I know I won't.