Our marriage is like the New iPad – more of the same, including more of the amazingness!

The night before leaving Australia after a wonderfully inspiring and challenging month in Australia with my gorgeous husband, I had dinner with my amazing friend, Fleur. She was telling me how her brother-in-law had reflected on Adam and my current life apart and concluded that he could never be away from his wife like that as they are too much in love and too close. This shook me initially because I would have described me and Adam like that a few years ago. I’d still describe us as close and incredibly in love – just following our mutual dreams in different locations for a while. But I actually think this 18 months of living apart has strengthened each of us and therefore our relationship in many ways. We have learned to be independent, strong in new ways, but because our relationship is so strong, our newfound independence made us stronger together too – sure our relationship has changed and we have some rebuilding to do but in a great way, full of possibilities.

Never once have I doubted that that we’re meant to be together and will be together. That’s a given. But if you’d told me that I could live on my own in Nepal, raise 2 amazing Nepali daughters on my own, run Mitrataa and a children’s home with 200 kids, I'd have laughed and thought you were crazier than I was! I was the cherished one, the one who was supported and inspired by my incredible husband. But now I have that amazing gift of unconditional support together with knowing myself, how much I can handle, how strong and driven I can be. What an incredible combination. Adam also now knows what he can do, how he can inspire himself and create something amazing. And that I can survive without him which is freeing for him – but he also knows how much I need him, we need each other in an even healthier way now.

So we get to rebuild – same blocks, and a few new ones to add, a wonderful new version of our relationship. That’s not to say it was broken and needed fixing – it was amazing already. But now it’s even more so – and deeper and stronger and richer with our daughters as well. Kind of like the iPad really – the first version was amazing and we all thought it was the best thing ever – but while we swooned, Apple didn't stop and pat themselves on the back for long and say ‘Our job is done.’ They kept innovating, developing, stretching, building on what was working and leaving out the bits that didn't. The result – the latest New iPad is . . . well, more of the same; including MORE of the amazing, blowing us away again. As it is with our relationship – no doubt there will continue to be new versions of the iPad. And our relationship will continue to grow too. How lucky am I! Thanks to my gorgeous husband for being so amazing!