Everyday my husband dives deeper into his career. Sometimes I feel as soon as I catch up he is AGAIN moving ahead. Expecting me to jump aboard his ship. I knew when we were dating that he wanted more than the 8-5 job. He would endlessly tell me about his plans to work around the world. And Entrepreneurial Management and International Business was his major with a minor in Economics. He wanted the world and I was in love. His sweet southern charm and handsomely gorgeous looks didn’t hurt either. Being the idealist he is as well as I, it was perfectly fitting that I was in complete awe of him and his big dreams- whatever they were. Besides we were in college and “the future” seemed so far away.
Well the future came knocking on our door much sooner than expected. Four months after my college graduation our love had exploded into a “love baby” and she was due in 7 1/2 short months. My husband jumped into the family business to keep us and my dream to be a stay at home mom alive. Always optimistic and driven he started to fancy the idea of something more.
I ‘m not sure when it happened or how but we took the leap. And on December 7th I officially signed my life over to my husband's investment with multi-family dwellings. We have come a long way. Tears of joy, frustration, triumph and understanding. The scary part is this is only the beginning. For the first year of our marriage I held him back. I’m not sure why but I was in fear. Fear of his dreams and terrified of what changes they would bring. Probably more scared than anything that I would become my mother. But when you marry someone you marry their dream. For better or worse. Big dreams and all.
Meg Cadoux Hirshberg is a journalist and the wife of president and CEO of Stoneyfield Yogurt. She writes a monthly column for Inc. Magazine. I stumbled across one of her articles and have since become a cult follower. Her first article, titled, “Hitched to Someone Else’s Dream”, really hit home with my heart. I found myself crying while reading. She has become my new best friend. Her words of wisdom and comfort helped me bring my husband’s dreams and our life together full circle.
Much like Meg’s husband, my husband’s ultimate goal is not financial security. It’s personal. It’s the excitement in number crunching, the deal hunt, the idea. It’s hard having two young babies and living in a city away from my family. Especially when he has to travel to check out properties or gets emergency calls because the plumbing is leaking.
It’s not easy but it’s never going to be. It is not supposed to. It’s the dance of the journey, and the adventure that makes marriage and love so sweet. It’s the giving and taking. The compromise and commitment. The big scary dreams that make you blindly bound in love.I love my husband and our career more today than yesterday. There really isn’t a choice. Having a business of your own is like having a child. And so we are bound together by his business, our two babies, a pledge of commitment and a whole lot of love.
I have decided to start a monthly post following Meg’s most recent article in Inc for all of you husbands and wives out there in the midst of marriage-career muck. Don’t stop believing. Buck your seat belt. I know it’s going to be a fun ride.
