An Ode to Fifteen Years
Getting married at the age of 21 shocks nearly everyone when I bring it up, but being happily married fifteen years later is the true surprise. My husband and I heart it all back then, when we committed to each other with an inexplicable ease and confidence. Looking back now, I can’t believe how brave we were. Although I’m not the same person I was then (neither of us are) our core, fundamental morals and life goals aligned then the way the still do today. Were we mature for our age then? Yes. Are we so strong in our convictions and ethical values that they were already set then and have only strengthened with time? Also, yes. Were we two fools in love that believed that wouldn’t fade with any amount of time? Absolutely. The way we work like partners in unison, fitting like two puzzle pieces that belong together, has only become more apparent now as we approach our forties. So many milestones together, some great and some not-as-good, I can only hope that there will be many years left of sharing comforting candlelit dinners together.
This year we went to Nar in midtown for a quick celebration. The meal was as incredible as we expected, since we chose the restaurant for their famous mantı, which was a meal we shared and collectively lost our mind over on a date before we were married. We recall the sunny, blue skied day we randomly stumbled upon a restaurant called Mundo off of Broadway that featured mantı on the menu. It was one of my first times eating Turkish food, and one of the earliest moments I realized this cuisine was clearly on another level. Tiny little dumplings filled with a mixture of beef and lamb, topped with creamy yogurt and a bit of chili oil. Though the mantı at Nar was different, it was a transcendent experience that could only be followed by an unforgettable künefe dessert that was slowly heated and crisped up in butter.
Indulging while we realized “this is around the time we were dancing fifteen years ago,” and feeling the years that passed and went by us ground us in that moment together. I am so grateful I’ve always trusted my instincts, they’ve never failed me.
