NEWSLETTERS MAKE ♥️♥️👩‍❤️‍👨 FONDER.

This blog is an imagination of my thoughts on love in marriage how misunderstandings don’t distance a couple, but slowly build a deeper and stronger bond.

NEIL n NIKI’s JOURNEY

Niki my character in this story is a self made woman working for a MNC as a software professional. She is married for 5 years. Her better half Neil too is a software professional. They both had a love marriage.

They have a new born baby who is a few months old. Life as a new mother was with tonnes of adjustments to be made for Niki. She was in the maternity leave for now. Life had turned tops turvy for both of them after becoming new parents. Though they were ready for this it was indeed tough to accept in reality . The daily routine was chaotic. Postpartum depression had its own role to play in this chaotic situation for Niki.

Neil had to manage both his office work and had his role of a new father too. To balance walk was indeed a Herculean task for both of them.Due to this there were also petty quarrels and arguments which had started between them. Niki also felt that Neil is not paying attention to her. A feeling of insecurity which could not be explained bothered her. She had never felt like this before.

For Neil too it was a new chapter in the beginning. They had employed a nanny as a helping hand . But still at times they had to do some baby care. Today morning too there was a petty quarrel regarding the changing of the diaper of the baby. He could see an irritated wife since few months after the delivery of the baby. He could understand the reason too. He wanted to show the support and the understanding he had for her. But, Whenever there was a quarrel she was in the upper hand not ready to listen to what he said.

With mixed emotions Neil went to his office as it was WFO day. All the chaos back in the house didn’t let him work properly. He opened his substack. Whenever his mood was off he had this habit of journaling. So he started pouring his thoughts. He found it very helpful as the words he wrote came from his heart. It was a kinda therapy for him .

The title of his blog was “ WOODEN ANNIVERSARY “.

Five years of marriage is usually called Wooden Anniversary. It is going to be five years since we got married. Our wedding anniversary is approaching. So I wish to pen a few lines about the same. He wrote :

The marriage which has gained maturity and stability like a wood is called WOODEN ANNIVERSARY.

Love before marriage , Love after marriage and Love as years pass by is totally different. Love is the same but gets diluted due to various surrounding factors. The so called factors attributes to small expectations from both the sides which doesn’t get fulfilled as per the expectations. This applies to both the sides. I have realised this from my marriage. We have become parents to a beautiful Bonny baby recently. To become a Father is the bestest experience one can enjoy. And not to forget my better half who is a responsible mom and a good wife.

In this smooth journey there has been sudden tremors which are creating unnecessary misunderstandings between us. Love is something which has to undergo all the tests as years pass to prove that it has become stronger than before. I understand this new status as a mother has been a trying time for my wife due to various reasons. The sudden change in the lifestyle, postpartum depression, unable to take care of oneself like before are to name a few.

The most important of all is the new bundle of joy we are blessed with whose smile gives us the strength to move forward. The current status as parents as makes us ecstatic indeed but kinda difficult to align with the new adjustments to be made in the routine. I felt like pouring my heart out as I believe in journaling. With thoughts bottling in the mind it becomes difficult to handle the situations at times. I try to make my wife understand the same but she is not in any mood to understand whatever I want to convey.

Hey friends,

I have decided to give a surprise for my dear wife during our wedding anniversary which falls next week. I want to surprise her with all the favourite things she likes. It’s a suspense in store for her with just two of us to celebrate the special day. In the hope that a new dawn will be born during our farewell to the 5th anniversary to welcome the 6th year of our marriage happily. Now I Gotta go and work. After journaling I am feeling lighter than before. Bye.

Coming to the scene in the house , It is SUBSTACK time for Niki.

Now that her baby girl was sleeping the next 1 hour it was her time to scroll, post and read and pour her thoughts in the way she wanted. She was tired and sleep deprived but she enjoyed reading the notes and blogs published in this platform. She could gather tips at times for many queries she had regarding many topics. She had made few friends too.

In her new journey in this platform, she had made a good friend whose substack link was “ODD MAN OUT”. She liked this unique name.

She started following and after reading the blogs of this link on regular basis she subscribed for the same. It became a routine to have a glimpse of the new posts and notes of that substack. Today while scrolling the latest note from that link caught her eye.

With a curiosity in her she started reading the note. She was impressed by the message. In her comments she wrote, “Very thoughtful of you to be such an understanding husband. I am sure your wife will appreciate your efforts. Very nice message”.

On seeing the comment there was a “Thank You” reply from the ODD MAN OUT.

With the baby awake Niki had to go back to her daily routine away from the substack world. Days went by. The regular hectic routine was going on for both of them. Neil could feel Niki’ s mood was going from bad to worse since two days. With two days to go for their wedding anniversary Niki had her own doubts about how the celebrations are going to be. She had the strong feeling that Neil will not even remember their anniversary this year. This made her more grumpy and irritable. Neil could sense this too. Their wedding anniversary was on Saturday.

On Friday evening Neil suggested going for a long drive after dinner. Niki initially was reluctant but then agreed. They also had to pack things for their baby and then leave. Long time since they went for a long ride. With songs playing and a cool breeze to enjoy Neil could see a relaxed Niki after a long time. The ride was a long one and Niki realised that they reached their friend’s farm house. The farm house was full of greenery, swimming pool and nice place to relax. With a puzzled expression Niki got down from the car. It was already midnight. Baby was fast asleep.Neil had the key for the house. He went and opened the door of the house . Niki followed him with the baby in her arms.

On entering the room she could see the room decorated beautifully with lots of red heart balloons, scented candles kept here and there to add to the decor. Also she could see her favourite Black Forest Cake with a dancing pair on it. The room had totally a romantic vibes to it. She could see Neil standing with a smile on his face to welcome her. Niki was overjoyed. With the baby in her arms she ran and hugged him. Neil was also very happy to see the Niki he had dated as a young girl before becoming a mother. Neil removed a small solitaire from his pocket and told in a soft tone “ HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!! Niki. Niki was overjoyed and wished him back saying “SAME TO YOU NEIL” .

Niki could sense something familiar about this arrangements . She remembered reading in substack about the surprise party planned by a husband for his beloved wife. Niki asked in a soft tone,”Hey Neil, Can I ask you something?. I have a doubt?. Neil replied “ yes go ahead”. Niki with a smile asked,” Are you the “ODD MAN OUT” my friend from substack. I have my own doubts”. Neil with a broad smile replied “ Yes indeed. I am the ODD MAN OUT -your substack friend !!”. Both of them burst into peels of laughter. They both could agree with the fact that the newsletters had made their heart more fonder.

With a cake to cut a solitaire to woo, a wine to toast, and a baby to cuddle it was indeed an anniversary to remember for both of them . Today was the day to mark their 5 years of marriage and 5 years of marriage symbolising solidarity and growth .There may be tiffs happening in future too, but the bond has become more stronger for the misunderstandings to be carried on for a longer time.

I want to conclude this blog by penning this line:

Substack was the platform which mend the misunderstandings between Neil & Niki to make their hearts fonder as ever. Neil and Niki were thankful for the same. They still message and connect with each other through the same account in the substack. And they enjoy doing the same. Hope you all enjoyed reading this lovely blog❤️🫶🏿

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