Three Little Words: "Man and wife"
I've never been too much of a movie watcher (probably because I've always had the attention span of a small harried squirrel when it comes to that sort of activity). But The Princess Bride is the only movie I can watch repeatedly without developing a serious case of boredom. There's just something about the combination of hilarity and whimsy that pulls me in time and time again. I realize it is a satire, no one would ever subject their daughter to having the name "Buttercup", and, come on, the rats don't even remotely look authentic. But I don't care. I laugh without shame at the antics of the drunken Inigo, tear up whenever Wesley whispers, "as you wish", and dance around my living-room in my underwear waving an imaginary weapon during the epic sword fights. (I'll let you decide whether that last bit is truth or a slight exaggeration).
One of my favorite scenes is the one where the poor priest with the speech impediment is conducting the forced marriage of Buttercup and Humperdink. I dare any one of you to lie and say you don't laugh when he says, "wove, true wove will fowwow you forever." At the end of the scene, Humperdink forces the priest to skip to the end and say "man and wife."
Man and wife… Three little words that evoke powerful emotions in most people, some of which are not so warm and positive. As my fiancé and I plan for our wedding and our future together, these are words we've pondered a lot. My family (God bless them) is not necessarily the perfect picture of the commitment these words imply. In fact, at my sister's wedding, there was only one couple on our side of the family that was still on their first marriage. When this was brought up to my dad at the rehearsal dinner, his response was, "Well, they've got to have something to tell their shrink." (It's ok to laugh at that. I did).
In spite of my family's shoddy record at this thing called commitment, I still find it is important to me. I think we all, deep down, like the idea of a solid bond that weathers the storms of life. To me, "man and wife" means hard work, silly fights about rug purchases, family vacations, smiles, dirty diapers, dinner dates, long walks, tears, taxes, support, choices, and, yes, true love. "Man and wife" are words that reach across the next fifty plus years of our lives together, touching the other side where we are older, wiser and a little better looking than we are now (I look really good in gray).
Some say this idea of marriage is going out of style, but I don't think so. Love can penetrate the heart of the hardest cynic and can bend a nonbeliever's will. It changed me and I know I'm not the first or the last to experience such a transformation.
Hopefully the next time you watch this classic film, you'll remember my powerful observations about love. Either that or you will be forever scarred by the image of me prancing around in my underoos.
Only time will tell.
One of my favorite scenes is the one where the poor priest with the speech impediment is conducting the forced marriage of Buttercup and Humperdink. I dare any one of you to lie and say you don't laugh when he says, "wove, true wove will fowwow you forever." At the end of the scene, Humperdink forces the priest to skip to the end and say "man and wife."
Man and wife… Three little words that evoke powerful emotions in most people, some of which are not so warm and positive. As my fiancé and I plan for our wedding and our future together, these are words we've pondered a lot. My family (God bless them) is not necessarily the perfect picture of the commitment these words imply. In fact, at my sister's wedding, there was only one couple on our side of the family that was still on their first marriage. When this was brought up to my dad at the rehearsal dinner, his response was, "Well, they've got to have something to tell their shrink." (It's ok to laugh at that. I did).
In spite of my family's shoddy record at this thing called commitment, I still find it is important to me. I think we all, deep down, like the idea of a solid bond that weathers the storms of life. To me, "man and wife" means hard work, silly fights about rug purchases, family vacations, smiles, dirty diapers, dinner dates, long walks, tears, taxes, support, choices, and, yes, true love. "Man and wife" are words that reach across the next fifty plus years of our lives together, touching the other side where we are older, wiser and a little better looking than we are now (I look really good in gray).
Some say this idea of marriage is going out of style, but I don't think so. Love can penetrate the heart of the hardest cynic and can bend a nonbeliever's will. It changed me and I know I'm not the first or the last to experience such a transformation.
Hopefully the next time you watch this classic film, you'll remember my powerful observations about love. Either that or you will be forever scarred by the image of me prancing around in my underoos.
Only time will tell.