r/comics
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u/davecontra
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Sep 11 '24
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TOGETHER. (OC)
It's a journey ❤️🔥 https://www.instagram.com/davecontra
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u/SomeKindaGui Sep 11 '24
Love the ending Dave. Keep up the good work man.
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u/davecontra Sep 11 '24
Thank you
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u/Drogonno Sep 11 '24
No dark stuff?! Meh I'll dig it and take it with love !
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u/please-disregard Sep 11 '24
U are my favorite comic artist. I am digging the slow transition from existential horror to more broad existential themes—although I still love the dark shit also. Despite the mundane premise, this feels very on-brand for your style.
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u/Edward_Morbius Sep 11 '24 edited Sep 11 '24
You're absolutely right on the mark. Thank you.
My wife and I have been married for a really long time and we're both "well aged". That last panel was perfect.
The reward for putting the needed work into a long-term successful relationship, is that the only thing that really matters is that your partner always loves you and that the toll taken by time is irrelevant.
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u/TeeHitts Sep 11 '24
Yes thanks for not making it heart stopping sad. Nice for a positive ending. Loved this.
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u/TheHumanPickleRick Sep 11 '24
Homie, your ability to evoke an emotional response which I can only describe as "longingly wistful yet hopeful" is absolutely amazing.
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u/davecontra Sep 11 '24
That actually means alot, thanks so much.
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u/ursadminor Sep 12 '24
Post it to r/mademesmile because it definitely made me smile and I don't want to steal your karma. 🙂
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u/huhsorry Sep 11 '24
Well, this is my first time seeing your comic strip- this was great- so I checked your profile and went "oh shit" after the first pinned post. Then I had to stifle my tears so my husband wouldn't see me sob.
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u/flightguy07 Sep 11 '24
I feel like there's probably a German word for that. There usually is
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u/TheHumanPickleRick Sep 11 '24
I had a hunch you'd be correct. "Sehnsucht."
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sehnsucht
"Sehnsucht (German pronunciation: [ˈzeːnˌzʊxt] ⓘ) is a German noun translated as "longing", "desire", "yearning", or "craving".[1] Some psychologists use the word to represent thoughts and feelings about all facets of life that are unfinished or imperfect, paired with a yearning for ideal alternative experiences."
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u/charisma6 Sep 11 '24
Rammstein related memory unlocked:
Had a friend in high school that was relatively fun and cool but not-so-secretly kind of a misogynistic asshole. He got me fired from a job out of spite, and pointed and laughed at me about it. I haven't spoken to him in at least 25 years but I'm 100% sure he's now a rabid Trump supporter.
Back then, Rammstein became popular in our friend group for a time, and he went around telling people what "Sehnsucht" meant: "Sit and suck it"
Cool guy. Cough.
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u/Numerous_Witness_345 Sep 11 '24
Also a good word in Portuguese.
"Saudade" - Saudade is an emotional state of melancholic or profoundly nostalgic longing for a beloved yet absent something or someone
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u/notodial Sep 11 '24
All around me I see 'imperfect' people giving and receiving genuine love, I myself am one of them. It's a relieving feeling to not worry anymore about every wrinkle, every roll, every 5 lbs, thinking (falsely) that those things make me unlovable, partially because I was in a relationship previously where I was made to feel unlovable due to my imperfections. It's not a way to live.
To receive profound love like this you must be capable of giving it as well, and viewing your own partner in such a way. To view them as a living, breathing person with full sapience and consciousness equal to your own. Falling in love with your partner's body is one thing; falling in love with their brain, their personality & their presence is so liberating, especially if they give you that in return.
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u/Aliktren Sep 11 '24
I know everyone now hates Love, Actually - but I really like the opening scene for that reason
I am the same age is this cartoon and we have been married a long time - and I love her more and more and she has had two cancer scares now so I have quietly evaluated what life would be like without her, and frankly, I dont want it, its not even like losing a limb, more like half of yourself - I feel lucky
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u/DevelopmentBulky7957 Sep 11 '24
"To receive profound love like this you must be capable of giving it as well, and viewing your own partner in such a way. To view them as a living, breathing person with full sapience and consciousness equal to your own. Falling in love with your partner's body is one thing; falling in love with their brain, their personality & their presence is so liberating, especially if they give you that in return"
Thank you very much for this. I grew a little bit more after reading this.
"Falling in love with your partner's body is one thing; falling in love with their brain, their personality & their presence is so liberating, especially if they give you that in return" - I will be practicing and reminding myself of this if I ever get in a relationship.
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Sep 11 '24
A strength, a skill, a talent... these things might texture the relationships you form but they do not define your worth. Your worth is infinite, your presence loved, for no other reason than that you were born. All around us are people that love us and need us.
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u/whatarechinchillas Oct 26 '24
So I have this skin condition, won't go into detail what it is but I've always been very insecure about it. All my past exes have been cool and have never made me feel insecure about it. They'd say it's fine that they understand my insecurity and that's nice but you know... I'm still insecure about it lol
When I got together with my current partner it turns out she has a very similar skin condition to mine and for some reason it made me love her more?? Because when she says she understands my insecurity I know she REALLY does. And I've honestly grown to really love that part of her body because of that. Such a strange but lovely feeling.
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u/Bearence Sep 11 '24
because I was in a relationship previously where I was made to feel unlovable due to my imperfections.
I know this feeling! I've had two major relationships in my life, the first being just like what you describe above. The second one has been the exact opposite; he makes me feel like everything about me is desirable, even the parts I don't generally like about myself. We just celebrated 25 years, so we've aged into old people. When I look at him I still see the 30something guy I fell in love with but I also see the way age has changed him and how beautiful it makes him and that serves as a constant reminder that how I've changed over time also makes me beautiful.
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u/MrValdemar Special Flair!! Sep 11 '24
As someone who's 53, married a wonderful woman when he was 20 and is still married to her all these years later, I feel every bit of this.
🫂
...I may have to try mushrooms now.
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u/davecontra Sep 11 '24
Proceed with caution, but know that you will never see the world the same again.
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u/Business-Drag52 Sep 11 '24
That really depends on the person. I’ve eaten a lot of mushrooms and acid and smoked DMT on a few occasions. The world isn’t any different to me now. Raising my son has changed the way I see the world way more than any hallucinogen ever did
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u/Ok-Parfait8675 Sep 11 '24
What a nice treat for you and your wife. If she is willing to go on that journey with you, it's a one of a kind experience. Start with low dosages and don't even take them if you guys aren't on the same wavelength when you do decide to dose.
It's good advice to start with a "trip-sitter", but it not necessary for subsequent experiences.
If used correctly, psilocybin absolutely has the power to open up your mind, increase your power of perception, and bring you closer to the world around you.
If you are young and have a family history of schizophrenia, I would steer clear (I'm sure that there are other situations, those are just the ones that I'm aware of).
Have fun, and if you like them, they're not that hard to grow and take up a very small non stinky corner of your closet (compard to pot)
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u/UrdnotZigrin Sep 11 '24
Made me tear up. It's amazing how you can create something hilariously fucked, deeply existential, or wholesome and beautiful. It's more amazing how I never know which one is gonna be until the end
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u/Rayfriki Sep 11 '24
Are you a writer? Everything was very terse and plainly, but effectively, said.
Overall superb comic. I wish this is the type of stuff that was getting more attention.
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u/davecontra Sep 11 '24
Just as a hobby, and only in my comics these days. I used to write alot more, but never as a job. And thanks
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u/majesticjg Sep 11 '24
As a redditor of a certain age, this one hit me hard. This, to me, is what art is all about. I'm grateful for your work.
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u/bitanath Sep 11 '24
Missed opportunity to say: You look wonderful tonight ☺️
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u/davecontra Sep 11 '24
Yeh the song was what started the idea for the comic! Didn't want to lift that line though.
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u/Gho5tWr1ter Sep 11 '24
I recognised the art style and I knew you’d do something nasty at the very end, Dave. But I’ve been smiling for the last minute at the last panel. Thank you!
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u/fuchsundotter Sep 11 '24
That was beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
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u/Vast_Function_3475 Sep 11 '24
Didn't go where I expected, but I love it so much 💓
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u/Snooty_Cutie Sep 11 '24
What was the deal with the magic mushrooms? Seems kinda out of left field lol
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u/Dreadgoat Sep 11 '24
Insert any mid-life crisis defense mechanism. It's going to be out of left field no matter what. Some people buy a motorcycle, some people try drugs, some people go skydiving, some people try weird sex stuff.
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Sep 11 '24
…….
oh shit me doing multiple Spartans and other mud runs a year and getting into ultramarathoning is my mid life crisis?!
Though LSD helped get me into that… so the lsd was probably my mid life crisis actually…
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u/CrashmanX Sep 11 '24
To show changes in them.
He liked it, she did not. In their youth this may have been different. But now they have changed, and despite those changes they still love each other very much.
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u/articulateantagonist Sep 11 '24
As someone who's been with their spouse for 12 years and does mushrooms with them every anniversary, I get it. Too bad Rebecca didn't have a good time—but I understand.
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u/alorty Sep 11 '24
My interpretation is that it represents a new adventure in personal evolution, an experiment in adjusting perceptions, and implies a diversion in how they are individually growing; what had terrified Rebecca is now a regular (although infrequent) enjoyment for Ric. The experience of being on mushrooms is now a new adventure not shared which is in juxtaposition to their 30's - experiences they may not be able to recreate due to Ric's bad knee.
And I think mushrooms specifically because of the experience itself can literally be an adventure combined with the timing of entering their 40's while feeling stagnant leading to more "dramatic" sources of adventure.
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u/RedCelt251 Sep 12 '24
I had a similar experience recently with my wife of 30 years. We are not the slim kids we were at age 23, fortunately. Yet I am filled with so much love when I look at her…that scar on her otherwise unblemished chest - a marker of skin cancer that didn’t get to take hold or take her. The grey in her brunette hair - that she has finally stopped coloring and it looks so much better. The feel of her thigh as I spoon her - that can still run a marathon, albeit a bit slower than before (that is a feat that she alone has accomplished in our household). No we are not the kids we were when we married, we are so much more. A couple who have shared joys, experienced losses, suffered indignities from the other but never stopped loving each other. Never stopped fighting for this third thing that is - our relationship. Thank you DaveContra for letting me experience that through your comic.
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u/mistersnarkle Sep 11 '24
Shit Dave, what the FUCK.
How could you do this??
What the fuck — why I am I crying at 8:11am,
I JUST WOKE UP, DAVE
I can’t be crying like this on a Wednesday morning
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u/pleasetrimyourpubes Sep 11 '24
7:09 here. It's definitely the smoke from the wildfires. Yeah that's it.
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u/elhomerjas Sep 11 '24
time can put a new perspective into view and make it more amazing for everyone
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u/angrytroll123 Sep 11 '24
I think I've enjoyed life more now than I did in my roaring 20s. Actually, maybe more fulfilled than enjoying.
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Sep 11 '24
this was just really nice and wholesome, I love it, Gave me a nice little smile to start my day off with, thank you
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u/sunsetspectrum Sep 11 '24
Oh man no I'm browsing Reddit at work I can't cry right now!
Still... thank you...
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u/finnis21
Sep 11 '24
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Thank you. Dear God, thank you.
My wife and I have had a journey that is, almost to the exact detail, exactly this. I mean, I'd have assumed you had been spying on us if I didn't know better.
The fear leading up to that last panel... we talked about this last night. Last fucking night.
And we decided together that we want what I see in that last panel. And ... reading this just now....
I don't believe in God. I don't believe in magic. But I don't know what just happened.
Goddamn... thank you for this. Thank you.
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u/Mike_Fluff Sep 11 '24
"You are as beautiful as the day I lost you"
Me to my long distance partner every morning because technically we lose contact every night. 10 years and counting.
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u/trickyprodigy Sep 11 '24
And then she asks me, “Do I look all right?” And I say, “Yes, you look wonderful tonight”
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u/TheTrueDeimos276 Sep 12 '24
No shame, but this made me bawl. My wife and I are going through a rough patch and this just hit me hard. Very thoughtful comic
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u/Infamous-Class-7862 Sep 11 '24
God there is not enough peak cook again goated meme reaction images for this
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u/Similar_Medium3344 Sep 11 '24
Good one dave.
Folks remember why you fell in love and hold on to that forever
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u/Christplosion Sep 11 '24
Damn, mine just says "you're full of shit" and we're only 30
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Sep 11 '24
So glad these two beautiful people didn't get choked out by a spacewhale or some other insane Dave shit 😅
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u/irrelative Sep 11 '24
dave your work is beautiful and poignant. can you please make a book of these?
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u/davecontra Sep 11 '24
I've actually been thinking about that. I have enough 10-panel comics for a book now I think.
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u/HorribleatElden Sep 11 '24
😭 this type of comic is what we need more of, not the random bullshit jokes that my dad would tell with generic art.
Made me feel something
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u/Kangaroo-Beauty Sep 11 '24
I was so scared Ric was gonna say smth mean but that was so wholesome 😭 Thank you
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u/Independent_Drive300 Sep 11 '24
I can feel the warmth in that last panel. And the shroom cabin panel was really 👍
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u/poseidon1111 Sep 12 '24
Thanks, Dave. I learned about you first with your Max comic, and I’m glad I found you.
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u/Daedrothes Sep 11 '24
They are not the same people but they still love each other. <3 sometimes people grow apart and sometimes people grow closer. Its life.
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u/static989 Sep 11 '24
Damn this got me feeling feelings today. I adore your comics Dave, please continue making them forever and ever thank you :)
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u/ngraham888 Sep 11 '24
I think there are a lot of people choked up over this lovely comic, myself included. Thank you.
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u/Fit_Definition_4634 Sep 11 '24
This is beautiful and, for me, rather timely. Celebrated 19 years with my husband yesterday. <3
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u/hamlet_d Sep 11 '24
God this hits hard. I've been married for 28 years and this is exactly how it feels. I love my wife more every day, but man how things have changed and evolved (for the better).
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u/GunslingerBara Sep 11 '24
I tend to hate most of the comics posted here, but occasionally a star shines through and it makes it worth staying subscribed. Good job.
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u/WingsOfBuffalo Sep 11 '24
Way to make me cry. My wife and I are in our early thirties, just starting down the road of growing up and growing older together. We have a daughter now, young and beautiful. And the reality of aging and the finite nature of life brings a lump to my throat. But the thought won’t stay gone.
I like to think that my wife knows she’s as beautiful now as ever, even with all the changes that pregnancy brought upon her body. And that I’m honored to be facing the show decay of the ages with her hand in mine.
But I’m not going to leave it up to chance. Thanks OP for reminding me to remind my wife how beautiful she is to me.
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u/7p7j0vkc Sep 11 '24
Thanks for this, we just celebrated 25 years and it’s the absolute truth of a long term relationship. She gets more beautiful every damn day, make sure to appreciate it.
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u/CautionarySnail Sep 11 '24
This is what love looks like. Not a conflagration of love bombings that flame out, but a sustaining and enduring warmth that lets people grow better together.
My husband is more good looking to me today than a decade ago; he doesn’t see that in himself, which always makes me so sad. But I see the beauty of his kind soul every day, the love and caring he gives to me, to friends. The changes due to aging doesn’t matter to me, except where his health is concerned.
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u/deviltakeyou Sep 11 '24
I had one of my quarterly trips recently. It’s my church, it’s how I reconnect with everything and feel my place in the universe. A lot of the time it feels like I’m being taught a lesson. This time I was challenged on what I think happens after we die. In the end I basically had to accept that it’s impossible to know, so don’t bother worrying about what happens after, worry about what’s happening in the moment, and try to make the most of the life you know you have. It was very hard for me to accept that she might not be on the other side, but I should be happy that we’re both here now.
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u/Ariachus Sep 11 '24
Lol that last panel seems to me to be implying he's high on mushrooms and that's why he says she's pretty. Otherwise why would the artist use the starry background.
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u/Aetra Sep 11 '24
Felt this in my soul (especially since my name is Rebecca) and my husband and I have been together nearly 20 years. We’re very happy still, but we’re in our late 30s/early 40s and I feel this crushing weight of time.
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u/gazamcnulty Sep 11 '24
You are the best webcomic artist / writer I've ever come across. I look forward to each new submission, in particular, 'Life's a beach' is just an incredible piece of art.
Keep doing what you're doing, you have a precious gift.
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u/noairnoairnoairnoair Sep 11 '24
Aw I love this. Reminds me of 10 years - Daði Freyr.
"How does it keep getting better?
Everyday our love finds a new way to grow
The time we spend together
Hmm, simply feels good
We got a good thing going"
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u/AppropriatePizza1308 Sep 11 '24
Do mushrooms and love your life. Pretty good message. Just get high together, see eachother in ways deeper than just skin.
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u/Atlas7674 Sep 11 '24
r/comics has conditioned me to expect a descent into absurd surrealism, so I was honestly very pleasantly surprised by a gripping and emotional story without some cheap twist punchline at the end. Thanks for this.
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u/carrotsforever Sep 12 '24
My parents have been together 40 years. My dad says that even though my mom is 40 years older, she’s somehow more beautiful than when she was in her 20s. And he can’t believe that he’s able to love her even more than he already did each year
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u/Myeloman Sep 12 '24
My wife and I are 53, married for 33 years. When I look at photos of us from back then I hardly recognize her, or myself really. We’ve raised three wonderful children, whom she homeschooled, traveled across this country and to Ireland, she cared for me through a bone marrow transplant 13 years ago and now I’m caring for her as she goes through her own cancer treatments. She’s lost her hair, but she couldn’t be more beautiful to me.
I can’t wait to see where the next 33 years takes us!
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u/LordRobin------RM Sep 12 '24
I kinda wish the characters were older. I’m 57 and my wife of 20 years is 45. From experience, I can tell you that the 50’s is far from the “finish line” for a good marriage. If anything, I think we finally feel “settled in”.
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u/fierymonk Sep 12 '24
Wow. That hit hard. Like… haaaaard. Gonna go tell my wife I still love and appreciate her, just so she can hear it.
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u/NatNat52307 Sep 12 '24
A couples comic that doesn't end in "haha wife/husband bad"?! Oh my god Christmas has come early!!
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u/Less-Sir8277 Sep 12 '24
I'm 52 and did handstand pushups in my CrossFit class this morning. My 20 year old self doesn't seem like another person. Young people shouldn't be so terrified of getting older. You have a lot more control over your "age" than you think you do.
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u/Sticattomamba Sep 12 '24
Going through some rough parts of my relationship right now. I hope to god it works out and we get this ending.
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u/funkymunk500 Sep 12 '24
You are a poet, Dave. Beautifully written. Your introspection is a refreshing and delightful experience in and of itself.
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u/Blackbion Sep 17 '24
You really get at the dark existential dread that comes upon us in middle age as we reorient to time and the beauty and bravery of continuing to love in the face of that sense of a greater futility.
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u/b3arz Sep 11 '24
needed that ending <3