There was a time when every conversation felt like an event.
We counted days to meet, planned Zoom dates, celebrated every little milestone, and wrote about every 9th as though it marked another chapter.
Somewhere along the way, something quietly changed.
The extraordinary became ordinary.
And I don't mean that as something we lost.
I mean it as something we earned.
Now, almost every morning, before the office takes over the day, there's a familiar voice on the other end of the phone.
Some days we solve the world's problems.
Some days we laugh at things that wouldn't make sense to anyone else.
Some days we sit in comfortable silence for a few moments before one of us says, "Anyway..."
It's never about finding something important to talk about.
It's about knowing that, whatever the day brings, we'll begin it together.
Looking back, I realise the biggest gift wasn't the grand moments.
It was everything in between.
The routine.
The consistency.
The comfort of not having to try.
Life has brought its share of highs and lows. Joy, uncertainty, celebrations, disappointments, decisions that were harder than expected, and days when all either of us could do was listen.
Through all of it, one thing has remained unchanged.
We kept showing up.
Not because we had to.
Because we wanted to.
Another 9th arrives, and for the first time, I don't feel like counting months.
I would rather count mornings.
The ones that begin with your voice.
The ones that remind me that the most meaningful relationships are not always built on extraordinary moments.
Sometimes, they're built on ordinary days, repeated with extraordinary care.
Happy one more 9th
And here's to as many more as I have breaths in me.