Memories Cycle 2 - WINNER ANNOUNCED

Assignment One – Introduce yourselves.

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Mike and I met at high school. Yes we were high school sweethearts. I was 15 and he was 17 and my hockey coach. Being together for so long, we both had to grow and mature through different stages of our lives. We had our ups and downs as we both developed our individuality. We knocked heads about differences in our ideas and lifestyles as we matured and changed.

I played hockey several times a week and ran competitively. Mike travelled, playing hockey with the state team. So we were apart for some of our courting days, but everyday I received a letter from him in the post and I felt he was checking up on me at times.

I liked to socialise with anyone and everyone, whereas Mike’s whole world revolved around me and family. In fact he became a bit of a recluse which often got on my nerves, and we struggled at times to come to terms with our different philisophy on life. You could say we were almost complete opposites. But as the saying goes, “opposites attract”, and that seemed to be the case with us. We married at 20 and 22 so had to put in the effort to keep communications open and honest to make the distance.

Growing up in the country, horses became an obsession with me and every moment I had would be spent with them. Being both outdoor people from the word go, I remember every horse ride we went on. As a teenager I was lucky enough to help out in the stables of Bart Cummings, a famous race horse trainer. I spent a lot of time there and met many other “horse” people, which also got on Mike’s nerves. He was a bit of a green-eyed monster when it came to me and part of our growth entailed teasing out our trust and security issues.

He hadn’t ever ridden a horse until I persuaded him to give it a try. It was serene and peaceful in the country, and a lot of our discussions evolved whilst riding in the countryside. Having such a logical mind, he would plan out every strategy and move so that everything went smoothly and to plan. Not me, however. I grew to be a bit of a non-conformist and often put my foot in my mouth, saying things without thinking and later regretting what I’d said. I tended to be spontaneous and unpredictable, which Mike found hard to deal with at times.

However, to have lasted as long as we have, there needed to be an open line of communication that incorporated balanced give and take. To me that is the secret of a long-lasting relationship - to let each other grow as individuals yet stay committed and true to one another before you both begin to drift apart, this is why we are still together today.