Yesterday I reviewed my Malaysia Airlines A330-900neo flight in business class from Kuala Lumpur to Bali and I want to offer a note to the newlyweds who were seated in 2A and 3A.
A Note To The Newlyweds In Business Class
It was a very cute young Indian couple, though he married out of his league in terms of looks (sort of like me…). You could see how special he was trying to make this honeymoon. Not just with business class, but with the way he doted over and took time to show her every single seat feature on the A330.
Seated in 2A, he frequently turned to her to check on her, asking if she was comfortable, how she liked the food, if he could get her another drink, and whether she needed a pillow or blanket). He fawned over like an excellent flight attendant and yes, it was kind of sweet. But I could tell…she was very polite to him but looked to be an experienced traveler and had no trouble figuring out her IFE or locating her blanket and pillow without any assistance.
(I was seated in 5A directly behind…Malaysia Airlines skips row 4…so I took this all in)
As I approach my 12th wedding anniversary, I smiled and thought of when I used to do the same thing for Heidi early in our marriage. Chivalry can be a beautiful thing and it is nice when a man is kind to his partner. It matters! Youth fade, muscles fade (hopefully not yet!), but kindness endures.
I thought it would be odd to make small talk with the couple and had to rush off the flight to make my tight connection, but if I would have had a conversation with them, here is what I would have said:
- Forgiveness is the root of maturity and the path to a long, stable, and happy marriage
- Love is willing the good of the other: choose to love and serve one another as your primary mission
- Set clear goals and stick to them – write out a five year and ten year plan and work toward them daily
- Enjoy the honeymoon because life will get very busy, even in its mundanity, especially if you both work and plan to have children
- Be frugal and save for the future, but take moments to travel and do it often because the years will quickly pass by and one day, even if you have all the money you could ever need, you might not be able to travel
- Children are happy burden but an indescribable joy – don’t wait too long if you intend to start a family because there is never an ideal time to bring children into the world, but never a bad time…
- Respect and support the dreams and aspirations of your spouse
- Push your spouse to greatness through encouragement and accountability
- Discuss all major issues and be willing to compromise
- Make sure you are using the right credit cards and zealously guard your credit score like you would your bank account
- Did I mention forgiveness?
Look, I’m not trying to offer sappy and superficial marriage advice. That young couple really brought back many happy memories for me and also memories of where I could have done things a lot better. We don’t have “do overs” in life, but each day can be a new start and I hope that I am becoming a wiser, more mature, more competent, and kinder husband every day…that is sincerely my goal.
This couple, however, is just starting out and I sincerely wish them all the best and a life full of love for another.
Great wisdom!
One of the listed items is to use the right credit cards!
Matt what do you mean when you say he “married out of his league in terms of looks?” Women are complex creatures as far as what they want. I’ve noticed that Indian women usually marry Indian men, Spanish women usually marry Spanish men & White women typically White men. Of course there are exceptions, but I’ve seen MANY cases where a White woman, for instance, will date a very plain-looking White guy before she’d even consider dating an above average looking Black guy. People like what they like lol. But the idea that “she’s out of my league” is one of my pet peeves.
It was meant as a compliment to her, not an insult to him. Of course, many women (and men) don’t care about looks as much as money, status, security, or other non-physical features. Men do tend to be more visual…
Spanish people are no longer considered White?
Funny you ask that because I’ve spent lots of time in Spain, Italy and Greece. But I’ve spent even more time in Denmark, Sweden and Finland. Most “White-looking” people of Southern European descent (Greece, Italy, Spain, etc.) don’t consider themselves to be the same race as “vikings” or “Aryans.” Personally, as a Black man from the Southern U.S who travels the world, I find all of this interesting lol.
Well said, Matt. Excellent post!
The 120 lbs Indian woman will turn into a 250 lb Hefer after the First child.
Fantastic reminder!