My Better Half

My wife is my biggest influence, to the extent that I can’t imagine what I would have ended up doing without her. Janet has been by my side for just over 38 years now and in that time has never made one decision that hasn’t been for the best outcome for us. Not all of the decisions have worked out as expected but they have all been made with the purest of intentions, to increase our happiness as a family.

When we were going on our second trip abroad as a family we had a few farewell drinks. The mother of one of my friends joined us and said ‘I wanted to meet the woman who sorted you out!’ She was absolutely right! Without Janet’s guidance and without her support I would never have succeeded at anything. She is the only person in life I completely trust. Her motivation is always to make life better for us. Everyone else is working with their own interests at heart, which is quite natural and absolutely right, but that means that when push comes to shove I will quite understandably come second or lower in their priorities.

I have lost the bulk of my friends over the years as moving around the globe and raising a family has meant that my focus has been entirely inward. Also, I have totally changed as a person, for the better in my opinion, since I found my first real relationship. Some people found that hard to accept and didn’t like the new me. As long as Janet is with me I don’t need friends so I have learnt to accept that. Yes, I miss some of the people who have drifted away, but I have never felt the compulsion to chase after them. My life is full with my wife and family and I need no one who is going to try to alter my priorities. In any case, I very much doubt that any of the people who have drifted off ever give me more than a passing thought these days.