31 Days of Change :: Day 5 -- Do It Again and Again

Yes, this post is late and, no, I don't plan to let this become habitual this month.  I am really taking this challenge seriously.  However, Bobby and I were busy celebrating our 8th year of marriage.

If you want success in any relationship, there must be a few things that you do again and again.  I'm talking about traditions.  Webster's Dictionary defines tradition as "an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior (as a religious practice or a social custom)". 

Being a huge University of Alabama fan, just the utterance of the word "Tradition" warms my soul.  Everything about Alabama is Tradition, from the unchanging design of the football uniforms to the creation of the elephant mascot to the expectation of excellence.  Aside from the few crazies you'll find associated with every sport, the Tradition of Alabama creates a solid love affair between school and fan.  That love affair has spanned more than 5 generations and is losing no strength.

Back to relationships with other people, not schools...on Tuesday night (my actual anniversary) Bobby and I ate dinner at a li'l chain restaurant Johnny Carino's.  It's an Italian restaurant with pretty good food, nice wine, and a relaxed atmosphere.  We have eaten our anniversary dinner there every single year.  It's a small tradition that almost wasn't.  You see, on our 1st anniversary we were two struggling 20-somethings and Johnny Carino's was brand new.  Eager to try something different, we ate there.  It was great!  So on anniversary #2, we decided to go back.  On anniversary #3, we had a brand new baby at home with a grandparent.  We knew we could get in-and-out of Johnny Carino's fairly easily, so again we ate there.  It was clear we were on to something.  Five more anniversary dinners later, and here I am writing to all of you.

Bobby and I have other traditions too, including but not limited to the way we get the house retired for the evening, road-trip games, and inside jokes.

What is the real allure of a tradition?  It's almost like a secret the two of you will share.  The tradition may make sense to no one but yourselves, but it's something consistent -- consistency is vital to a successful relationship.  Furthermore, if you can't commit to something as simple as always giving two quick love pats before saying goodnight and turning to the left side, then how can you commit to the vision of growing old and rocking your bobbled grey heads on a front porch some day.

I challenge you to either continue with or create some traditions of your own.  After all, multi-generational love is on the line.