Once upon a grey rainy day in the North of Engand, a white VW Campervan sat on a murky field. Inside, two Pot Noodles, chicken flavour obviously, waited patiently as the water bubbled away on the nearby camping stove, and a man and a woman played scrabble with hungry tummies.
It sounds idyllic doesn't it. And it would have been, except for the fact that this is a true story, set two years ago, and this was our actual honeymoon in the Lake District.
Aside from a Nuclear Power Plant, which we were keen to steer clear of, there was nothing in this 'coastal-location-that-shall-remain-nameless' that remotely engaged us. Having typed 'restaurants near me' into my phone, I had discovered 'there are 0 restaurants near me' (Subway it is then..) and things were looking pretty bleak. Instead of spending the evening having a romantic meal 'somewhere nice', we had to resort to a depressing Pot Noodle. And instead of a day out exploring charming boutiques and quaint cafes, we settled for a rainy afternoon in the campervan playing Scrabble in our onesies.
I tell this story not to have a moan about rain, (I happen to love the rain, being a 'Northern Lass') or complain about the Lake District (I lived there for 3 years and know it is stunning...mostly) or even to belittle Pot Noodles (there's a time and a place for sure). I tell it because it was our two year anniversary last week and it got my brain whizzing over how married life is full of surprises, both happy and disappointing, not unlike a bag of Revels. And not being one to let a good brain-whizz go undocumented, I thought it would be best if I shared...
We've all been there. You open a packet of Revels, excited, expectant, maybe a little anxious, and you begin the adventure. What will your first bite be? Well, in my experience, married life can be just the same. On your wedding day, you say those special vows, look into each others' eyes, have a cheeky smooch in front of everyone you know, then party the night away. It's certainly like choosing your first Revel and joyfully discovering it's a Malteaser! In fact, forget the Revels, it's like buying a whole box of Malteasers and eating them all in one glorious day.
But then real life begins.
For those healthy people out there, who would NEVER indulge in a whole bag of chocolates, let me explain Revels. They each have a different flavour and are covered in chocolate, which makes it very difficult to tell (for most of them) which flavour you're about to enjoy (or not..!) After Malteasers, my favourite Revel is the Toffee one. The worst one is the Orange one, and unfortunately these two look dangerously similar to the untrained eye. It would be so much easier if the Revels had special shapes to help us tell whether we are going to enjoy each one or not. It would prevent any disappointing surprises. But the fun of Revels, just like being married, is taking the risk and hoping for the best, enjoying the Toffee moments and working together through the Orange ones.
When we decided to spend a big chunk of our savings travelling the world for a year it was like we were sticking our hands into the Revels bag and hoping for the best. It could have gone so badly. We could have been mugged in India, or had our backpacks stolen in Laos. We could have been food poisoned in Cambodia or ended up homeless in Australia.
We could have had Orange after Orange after Orange Revel, until finally, one or both of us would throw the Revel packet onto the ground in a tantrum, and write a letter of complaint to the manufacturer, to let them know we had a bag entirely filled with ORANGE ones.
Thankfully, this hasn't been the case, and our metaphorical Revels bag has been a fairly even mix. Sure, we've had Orange moments. Like the 12 hours waiting for our night train (which was delayed) on a freezing cold day in India, trying to remember why we'd ever thought backpacking around the world was a good idea as we shivered on a windy platform in thin hoodies. Or last week, when my long-sought-after bike was stolen from the bike shed in town and we walked home in silence, heads low, feeling the injustice of working hard to buy something only for it to be taken by a freeloader.
But we've also had plenty of Malteaser moments as well. More than I can even think of right now. Like this aftenoon, sitting in our garden on a blanket, listening to music, playing UNO, enjoying the warmth of the sun (in WINTER! Crazy!) Or taking the dog for a walk in the park and laughing as she chases the birds like a crazy fiend.
Sometimes, when all you've eaten are Revels, from morning to evening for 6 months, it can make you cranky, (I'm still talking metaphorically here, I happen to have a very healthy, balanced diet!) Since January, The Boy and I have spent every waking (and sleeping) moment in each others' presence and every now and then we notice our irritability levels rising and a stormy moment approaching. Two years of missing the signs and engaging in unhelpful rages at each other has finally taught us that it's fine to take a step back. And breathe. And put down the "verbal-grenade" that we are dying to hurl at the other person. Sometimes we just need to put the Revels away for a couple of hours, go for a walk, have some space and then come back later and continue the Revel adventure, refreshed, recharged and reset.
Sometimes, I've expected something to go a certain way and it has taken me completely by surprise by being the exact opposite. Like the story of our honeymoon. We had expected this town to provide us with a day out exploring and enjoying fine cuisine. It was like choosing what you think is a Raisin Revel, only to discover it is in fact Coffee. In the end, you enjoy it either way, it's just different! (Who doesn't love a pyjama day playing Scrabble with a Pot Noodle hey!)
There's one Revel that breaks the rules though. It's easy to recognise and you ALWAYS know what you're getting. It's the chocolate one. It's shaped like a 'flying saucer' and even before you bring it out of the packet you know exactly what's going to go down. It isn't trying to fool anyone. It's simple, it's chocolate, you know you'll like it. It's like me and The Boy. Throughout the rest of our marriage there will be Toffees and Coffees and Malteasers and, unfortunately Orange ones, but you always know that deep down in that packet, you'll find the chocolate. And it never lets you down.
Excuse me, must dash, I have a real hankering for some Revels...
We could have had Orange after Orange after Orange Revel, until finally, one or both of us would throw the Revel packet onto the ground in a tantrum, and write a letter of complaint to the manufacturer, to let them know we had a bag entirely filled with ORANGE ones.
Thankfully, this hasn't been the case, and our metaphorical Revels bag has been a fairly even mix. Sure, we've had Orange moments. Like the 12 hours waiting for our night train (which was delayed) on a freezing cold day in India, trying to remember why we'd ever thought backpacking around the world was a good idea as we shivered on a windy platform in thin hoodies. Or last week, when my long-sought-after bike was stolen from the bike shed in town and we walked home in silence, heads low, feeling the injustice of working hard to buy something only for it to be taken by a freeloader.
But we've also had plenty of Malteaser moments as well. More than I can even think of right now. Like this aftenoon, sitting in our garden on a blanket, listening to music, playing UNO, enjoying the warmth of the sun (in WINTER! Crazy!) Or taking the dog for a walk in the park and laughing as she chases the birds like a crazy fiend.
Sometimes, when all you've eaten are Revels, from morning to evening for 6 months, it can make you cranky, (I'm still talking metaphorically here, I happen to have a very healthy, balanced diet!) Since January, The Boy and I have spent every waking (and sleeping) moment in each others' presence and every now and then we notice our irritability levels rising and a stormy moment approaching. Two years of missing the signs and engaging in unhelpful rages at each other has finally taught us that it's fine to take a step back. And breathe. And put down the "verbal-grenade" that we are dying to hurl at the other person. Sometimes we just need to put the Revels away for a couple of hours, go for a walk, have some space and then come back later and continue the Revel adventure, refreshed, recharged and reset.
Sometimes, I've expected something to go a certain way and it has taken me completely by surprise by being the exact opposite. Like the story of our honeymoon. We had expected this town to provide us with a day out exploring and enjoying fine cuisine. It was like choosing what you think is a Raisin Revel, only to discover it is in fact Coffee. In the end, you enjoy it either way, it's just different! (Who doesn't love a pyjama day playing Scrabble with a Pot Noodle hey!)
There's one Revel that breaks the rules though. It's easy to recognise and you ALWAYS know what you're getting. It's the chocolate one. It's shaped like a 'flying saucer' and even before you bring it out of the packet you know exactly what's going to go down. It isn't trying to fool anyone. It's simple, it's chocolate, you know you'll like it. It's like me and The Boy. Throughout the rest of our marriage there will be Toffees and Coffees and Malteasers and, unfortunately Orange ones, but you always know that deep down in that packet, you'll find the chocolate. And it never lets you down.
Excuse me, must dash, I have a real hankering for some Revels...
