I know this country has been inundated by wedding stories the past couple of months, but allow me to share just one more, as it continues to inspire me...and my writing. I'm from the midwestern USA. My husband is from southern China. We met and married in Tokyo, Japan.
Now, my image of a wedding was a simple church affair with cake and coffee afterwards.
"No way," my Knight-in-Shining Armor announced. "I'm not asking friends to come all the way to church for a measly mouthful of cake."
We had to find a Chinese restaurant offering twelve auspicious dishes.
I did a very unprofessional thing--especially in Japan--and took an entire morning off work to order flowers, beautiful white orchids. Instead of being pleased by my priorities, my Suitor asked, "Are you planning a funeral?"
In China, the color for happiness and celebration is that of the scarlet letter.
During our practice ceremony, when the minister said, "You may now kiss the bride," my Prince Charming put his lips to my ear and whispered, "She doesn't really expect me to kiss you in front of all our friends, does she?"
And this was before our Japanese friends jumped into the mix, insisting that we should have a temple ceremony after the "church thingy"--and don't forget to do speeches and karaoke.
Ours was not a conventional union--and over the past fifteen years, it hasn't gotten more so. We don't do turkey for Thanksgiving anymore. As my husband says, "We never finish it all, anyway."
I don't expect roses on Valentine's Day--as my husband says, "What? Show my love for you on one day? What about the other 364?"
And, while our chlidren do St. Paddy's day at school, they will always giggle about their dad who thought a leprechaun was an insect, and that's why they needed to make leprechaun traps.
I bring this up, as not all of you may have a partner who points out the absurdities of your everyday rituals. I bring this up to illustrate that the things you see each day, the rituals you practice, the places you travel--while they may seem normal and mundane--are fascinating, even off-the-wall to someone out there. Each of us is blessed with a unique perspective, a unique world.
Revel in it. Write about it. Share it.