I hop into his pickup at the airport. After a long overdue kiss hello, we are off. His arm goes around me. My head finds that place on his shoulder. Our favorite country song playing on the radio. Nothing but blue skies and wide open spaces in front of us. We take the scenic route home. Just to soak up the feeling….
Monday morning. Memorial Day. We wake up to the sound of rain hitting the roof. A huge smile comes across my face. The rain that I was desperately praying for is here. It also means that my farmer gets a much needed little break. And that I get to spend the day with him. We hop in the pickup. Me armed with my camera. Him with our refreshments of tea and sunflower seeds. By the time we head out, the clouds are starting to clear. No more rain. The sun starts to shine through.
We drive down the dirt roads, down the section lines. We stop to check out the soybeans, the wheat, the corn, the empty fields where sunflowers will be planted. Each time we hop out of the truck and walk into the field. He stoops down and checks out the crops, some barely beginning to peek through the soil. Shows me what it should look like. Shows me the problems and tells me how they should have been fixed. He explains it all to me. And I listen. He lights up when he talks about those things he’s so passionate about. He walks deeper into the field to check it all out. I take photos until he returns to where I am standing. He takes my hand as we walk back to the pickup. There’s the feeling again…
We invite our best friends over for supper. A great supper prepared in a combined effort between the two of us. He mans the BBQ while I whip up some scalloped potatoes. We all talk, we laugh, we catch up on what I’ve missed while being back in California. A perfect Memorial Day evening. And as we all sit there, he takes our friend’s 9 month old son. Both of their faces light up. They both exchange funny faces, smile, and giggle. I can’t help but see my future play out in front of me. With him. And images of our future children play out before my eyes. And that feeling hits me hard…
This feeling… that can’t describe. I can’t put it into words. It’s a feeling that everything is right in the world. That with each other our whole worlds are complete. That gives me a sense of comfort and settles my soul. That no matter what turbulence or hardships are going on in our life, the fact that we have each other makes it all bearable.
Returning back to North Dakota, even if it’s a whirlwind trip, even if it’s only for a matter of HOURS that can be counted… Was worth the hours of sleep I lost, worth the money spent, worth the time spent battling Memorial Day crowds.. Why?
Well because it acted as a reminder. A reminder of that feeling. A reminder that when it all comes down to it.. This is the life I was meant to be living. And that HE is the one out there who was meant for me.
You just know.
And I cannot wait to return. To return and start the rest of my life. With him. Whether it be sending each other random sweet nothings while he works long days. Driving in the pickup checking crops on a Sunday. Enjoying an evening with his family or our good friends. No matter what it is… that feeling is there. It’s something I’ve never experienced before. There’s no mistaking it. There’s no denying it. And that’s how I know.
When you realize You want to spend
The rest of your life with somebody,
You want the rest of your life
To start as soon as possible.
–When Harry Met Sally
🙂