I just reread the last couple pages and realized we are understanding things differently. My comment was very specific for what I understood you to be joking about. I see you probably meant otherwise. My guess is you're not married. My apologies.
Now joke away
I probably should refrain but here goes. I will do this methodically so we don't speak past each other.
First off, I am very happily married and wouldn't trade my married life for my single years any day of the week. (Well maybe one day a week - there I go again making bad jokes about marriage!!).
Premise 1 While I am very happily married and in a loving committed relationship I am not going to kid myself and say that there isn't every once in a while a moment when I look back with nostalgia at my single days ("the freedom to do what I want when I want etc."). Some (naive, unrealistic ) people would be horrified by such a thought, as if marriage is supposed to be the answer to all the world's problems and eternal sunshine and bliss. The obvious fact is that marriage makes your life more complicated (duh, you are adding a whole other person to your person + hopefully kids and more responsibilities). The same way there are good days and bad days before you are married there will be good days and bad days after you are married. I agree with you that married life is different and better than single life. Married life is a richer deeper more meaningful life and therefore there is the opportunity for it to be "better", but the flip side to that is that it also has the opportunity to be more "difficult" at times (More difficulty=more enjoyment).
Premise 2How to cope or deal with the difficult times (in life/in marriage/in everything)? I personally find that staying positive, not taking things too seriously, and being able to laugh about things (especially w/ regard to married life) helps me keep things in perspective and live a positive balanced life. While I definitely believe in different strokes for different folks I sometimes wonder how people could be soooooo serious and not be depressed (or maybe they are). I think everyone would agree we should all aim for balance.
Now that brings me back to my JOKE (I hope you didn't think I was serious) that "after the wedding it all goes downhill" in connection with trying to encourage someone to look at his wedding night as a really special night and to "spring" a couple extra bucks to make it a night to remember forever. It stinks to have to explain a joke but I guess I was referring to the fact that life gets more complex and difficult (and also so much better) with marriage. Every once in a while it is nice to look back to the beginning (your wedding night) when things were so simple and not complex and that one may want that reflection to be something more than a Ramada Jacuzzi (Dan had a funny reaction to that). Granted the joke was not SNL worthy, but I thought it was a bit funny.
While I am sure I misunderstood your reaction…it came across as wayyyy tooooo serious…..at least for me and it warranted a "chillax"!!. I apologize if my subsequent comment offended you as I should've kept it to myself and stuck to my "different strokes for different folks" idea. If being super serious works for you..then by all means...
Anyways, enough seriousness for me
I am starting to get depressed and I probably used up my posting limit for the year on this post, but just wanted to clarify. I am also thinking that this may be the wrong thread to discuss all this