50, Yes, 50!
Sharon and I are heading over to a charming little place called the Tickle Pink Inn in Carmel on the California coast this coming weekend.
It’s been quite a while since we’ve been there. In fact, it’s been exactly a half-century.
You see, we spent our honeymoon night at the Tickle Pink on July 5, 1975.
And by now, dear reader, you’re likely saying, “Hey, wait a minute! You’ve buried the lead to this story!”
Yes, I did. Intentionally. The “real” lead is, “Sharon and I are about to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary.”
But I thought I’d try a different approach than what you see in all those other “couple celebrates half-century together” pieces.
If you’ve read this blogsite for the past few years, you’ve heard many of the stories I could relate about Sharon and me.
The miracle of our meeting on that cold Valentine’s Day in Fresno in 1974, when I was a young TV reporter and she was a younger high school student editor whose newspaper had made headlines around the Valley and state because of an article about drug usage on her campus.
How — after interviewing her — I went back into my Channel 30 newsroom and announced that I’d just met the woman I thought I could marry.
How they laughed.
And how we were married 17 months later. And how remarkably — another miracle — we still are.
I could once again recount stories about the incredible, wonderful experiences we’ve had over the past half-century. The places we’ve worked and lived and traveled. The people we’ve been so fortunate to meet all across this nation.
I could tell, again, stories about Amy and Bradley — our two wonderful adult children. How they grew up curious and smart and energetic, and how they each have perfect life partners.
I could write, again, about how all this has simply flashed by — how the past 50 years — fifty years! — have passed as if they were on a supersonic jet.
All of this — true.
But as we approach this milestone that neither of us could ever have visualized way back then, I find that — though I’ve been a professional writer for more than a half-century — words fail me.
There are no phrases I can string together that can adequately describe how lucky and grateful I am to have had Sharon in my life.
She has been, and is, my life.
I cannot imagine having lived without her. Not only has she been the greatest partner anyone could have — she has also saved my life several times — literally — by “finding” things that she demanded I see doctors about.
And she was right.
She has supported me even when I’ve done stupid things — and there have been loads of those. She has taken the lead on many, many projects that I’ve been overwhelmed with or frustrated by.
I can go on. But the bottom line is — the best decision I ever made was the one that came on that Valentine’s Day 1974 — the decision that Sharon was “the one” I hoped to spend the rest of my life with.
That she ultimately said “yes” was the best moment that led to all our future great moments.
So, yes, Sharon and I are heading back to the charming Tickle Pink Inn on the Big Sur coastline in a few days. And, yes, the inn — on the original homesite of California state senator Edward Tickle and his wife Bess (she loved flowers, especially pink ones) — retains the same exquisite charm and beauty and views it did a half-century ago.
Sharon also retains the same charm and beauty she did when I first met her when she was 17 years old.
I wish I could say the same for me. But — well, you know, men age a bit differently. Faster.
All I can say for sure is — I’m tickled pink that the two of us are still together.
And no matter how much more we both have to go — what we’ve had has been simply incredible.