A couple of years ago, my Mom woke up convinced it was her anniversary. But the truth is, she had the right day of the month, but it was a whole month early.
She began her morning by telling my Stepdad, “Happy Anniversary!” And he just went with it. All day long, he played along, wished her a happy anniversary right back, and told her he was taking her out to dinner for the occasion.
That evening, as they enjoyed their “anniversary” dinner, my Stepdad finally smiled and said, “You know, we’re actually a month early. Our anniversary is next month.” My mom laughed and laughed. I completely understand how it happened—sometimes we get something in our heads, and then we don’t question it again. I’ve done it in plenty of other ways myself.
But the best part of this story is what they decided to do next. Now, they honor the anniversary of their wrong anniversary too. They celebrate that day, just as they do their actual wedding anniversary. Each year, they give each other anniversary greetings and go out to dinner twice— once for the one they got wrong and once for the real anniversary.
I love this so much. There are so many ways to drift through life in a mundane daze, and goodness knows there are enough anxieties in the world these days. Why not take as many opportunities to celebrate as we can?
— Renee Roederer
Smuggling Grace 