Seven years ago, I took a huge leap of faith and moved in with a guy I had known for less than a year, and had been dating for just shy of six months. It could have destroyed the relationship we were just starting to build. It could have created huge financial problems neither of us could escape. It could have created an unhealthy dependency. It could have been disastrous. We signed a one-year lease on a one-bedroom apartment and hoped that if we didn’t end up working out as a couple we could at least be cordial enough to not screw each other over when it came to the rent and bills.

That first-year money was the tightest it has ever been. There were months that I wasn’t sure we were going to be able to cover all of our necessary bills, let alone have any money left over for groceries. We lived without cable and internet, didn’t turn on the heat until temperatures dropped below freezing and opened every window in the apartment to let in any amount of a breeze because we couldn’t afford the cost of running an air conditioner. When we bought anything, it was from second hand stores, discount grocery stores, or massively discounted. We didn’t go out to eat, and our “date nights” revolved around watching a movie we owned and had both seen enough times to quote the entire thing verbatim. But apparently those stressors weren’t enough for me, because it was that first year that I also decided to go back to college. My days started with early morning classes, and ended with late night shifts, with little time in between for much else. Perhaps that’s actually how we made it through that first year without killing each other, because I remember it being one of the most stressful and difficult times of my life. Despite its difficulties though, I believe that that first year is what set us up for the successful relationship we have today.

Seven years ago, I moved in with a guy that most people would have claimed I barely knew, and as it turns out it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. We supported each other through tough times, and we celebrated each other in our own and joint successes. For the last seven years we have faced life head on as a team and continue to grow together. I’ve heard that couples in the seventh year can grow complacent and restless with each other thus creating a seven-year itch to escape, but I’ve decided to take baseballs approach instead and take a seventh inning stretch half way through our seventh year together to look back and appreciate how far we’ve come, to recharge my enthusiasm for our life today, and to settle back in for the rest of this tournament we call life.