What does it mean to be a Wife on Fire?
At face value, directly from Google, here’s what you get:
Ok, that’s good, there’s our English lesson for the day.
But what does that mean in the context of marriage?
Do me a favor. Stop for a moment and think about the vows you said on your wedding day. Were they traditional vows? Did you write your own vows? Do you remember them?
What did you promise?
Do you still mean it? Do you still practice it? Do you live out these promises in your marriage today?
Let me take it a step further…
…hold up, I know what you are thinking.
“Well, it’s not like my husband lives them out either.”
“This is just how marriage looks after awhile.”
Have you ever thought about what era you would have enjoyed living in had you not been born when you were?
Am I alone in this pondering?
Gosh, I hope not. That would just be weird.
Well, I’ve always pictured myself in the days of the pioneer. Maybe it was the joys of playing The Oregon Trail in my childhood, but I could always picture myself as a prairie wife. You know, a real Sarah, Plain & Tall in a Little House on the Prairie setting.
I’ve been on a bit of a daydream vacation over the last couple of weeks. I sort of get in these dreamy mindsets whenever Wildland Man is away on a fire. It must be a coping mechanism. And it surely isn’t coincidental that my dreaming of the future almost always involves us being together, not separated during a fire season.
Maybe I should talk to a therapist about these daydreams.
Nah, I’ll just share them with the entire world. Maybe y’all can help me make sense of them 😉
I’ve always been a planner and list maker. It’s a problem really. I pretty much have an addiction to the satisfactory feeling of crossing things off a list. I’m working on it, I promise.
Add in the fact that I’m the Country Wife here at Country Wife Chronicles and my work-at-home lifestyle and rural living pretty much requires organization and planning ahead.
The past two weeks here at CWC have been all about Planning Ahead.
I can’t seem to remember what our meals were like prior to learning how to meal plan. I’m sure it was a black hole of Hamburger Helpers, mac and cheese, and hot dogs.
I do, however, vividly remember my first experience with meal planning.
We had recently left our professional careers for something new, and in so doing had to drastically revise our financial spending and budget. We lived 20 miles away from town and it no longer made financial sense to run into town on a whim. Every trip and gas expense was accounted for and needed to be worth their while.
I chose the country life. It’s true. I made the conscious decision to live outside the definition of urban life on purpose.
And in so choosing the country life, there are some lessons to be learned. One of which is today’s topic: Planning Ahead.
I was sort of forced into planning ahead when it came to meals and groceries, simply by the sheer distance between me and the store.
But I can honestly say that if I were ever to live within city limits again, I think I’d do my very best to maintain this system of planning our meals that I’ve perfected over the past few years.
These past few weeks here at Country Wife Chronicles have been all about marriage. Strengthening Your Marriage, specifically.
Today, I’m super excited to be able to share a little resource with you that I’ve created. I’m sharing a template for a DIY Marriage Retreat designed to allow you to get away for a weekend and strengthen your marriage with intentionality.
But first, let me give you an idea as to what exactly a Marriage Retreat is.
One thing I know for sure. Our marriage is nothing, if not intentional. Day in and day out, we choose to make it a priority.
Even on the days I really don’t want to.
Even on the days I’d rather just be lazy about it.
Wildland Man and I decided early on in our relationship that marriage would take work and that it would require effort to keep the flame burning bright.
I’m a believer that a marriage in a not-so-great place can be turned around with a single act of kindness by one person. It has to start somewhere, somehow. What is there to lose by trying?
The next few weeks here at Country Wife Chronicles are all about marriage. I decided to write a whole series on “Strengthening Your Marriage.”
Not because I’m an expert or anything. Not because I know all there is to know about marriage. Not because Wildland Man and I have endured the deepest of depths in a lifelong marriage.
No, I’m not an expert. Or a counselor. I certainly don’t know it all, because I’m constantly trying to figure it out. Over and over again. Day after day. It is an intentional effort on my part to make this marriage not only work, but be great.