Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Happiest Day and Other Lies


According to the Washington Post, Trump lied 34,000 times in his first term. He even lies in his contradictions. Or perhaps we should call all his statements, Facts of the Moment or even Facts of the Second. 

Politicians lie. Take Mitch McConnell saying different ways when and how a Supreme Court Justice during a president's term should be appointed. One example out of hundreds of thousands of false words delivered daily by humanity.

Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny are lies we are told as kids. They are lovely lies.

Lies in relationships can hurt but maybe sometime even help. How things are expressed can be unlies... "Dear, I think your blue tie, would look really lovely with that suit," vs. "You're not going out with the ugly tie. Yuck." 

There are unspoken lies. Does a spouse need to know you've broken off with your lover? Better yet, not to have a lover. Best, don't go to an Epstein type party.

One lie that annoys me on a personal level vs. political lies that hurt large groups of people is, "Your wedding day is the happiest day of your life."

Good grief, I hope not. 

My first wedding was an elopement and at the end what I felt was relief that my mother didn't find out until it was too late.

My second marriage some 50 years later was a commitment ceremony attended by 40 friends from seven countries. It was followed a couple of years later by the real ceremony in the mayor's office attended only by two friends who were our witnesses. Both were wonderful days. 

In many countries the only legal ceremony is the one at city hall. One can have a priest, minister, rabbi all conduct the ceremony hundreds of times, but the marriage won't be legal.

I'm pleased to report after 12 years of marriage we've had everything from calm happiness to outright joy even during the normal problems of living.

Weddings are often seen as times of great stress to get everything right. Some are so expensive that the couple must forego other things for decades. 

None of the stress of wedding details are the reason I don't like thinking of it as the happiest day. 

One might get married in their 20s, 30s, etc. Then they may live another 40, 50 years of more. Sure they will have ups and downs, but it's sad to think that one day was the best ever and everything else is a lesser degree of happiness working its way down to maybe misery.

Each day can contain happiness be it little or tiny. We have one life, make it count.





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