The Secret to Marital Bliss

I have now been married to a wonderful guy for ONE WHOLE YEAR.

**silent cheer**

And in that time, I have stumbled upon the key to a happy marriage. Since you can probably barely contain your excitement right now, I’ll just say it. The secret to marital bliss is cuddling.

But I can’t take credit for this discovery myself. In fact, I have Snow Whore to thank, because she was onto this tidbit of wisdom years ago, before either of us was married. I remember walking one day with Snow Whore, and perhaps even the other naughty princesses were there too. As we skirted the campus of our alma mater on our way to or from someplace, the topic of marriage came up. It came up frequently, actually, because all of us were single at that time, and marriage, along with sex, dating, and guys, were always fodder for interesting conversation. But this time I remember Snow Whore speculating about what she thought the best part of marriage would be. The thing she was most looking forward to about her life with her future man. Her answer? Cuddling. Cuddling up at night and waking up next to that person in the morning. Having someone to share a bed with.

I have to be honest: at the time, I scoffed at her idea. To me, the prospect of hot, spicy sex was more tantalizing than just…sharing a bed with someone. Because, come on, sharing a bed is just plain awkward and uncomfortable sometimes. I liked having a bed all to myself, thank you very much.

Well, for the past year of my life I have given up the spacious queen bed I enjoyed during my teenage years and have instead had to squeeze into a double along with my husband. And it’s been awesome! That whole falling-asleep-in-each-other’s-arms-and-waking-up-next-to-each-other-in-the-morning thing is pretty freakin’ great, I must admit. And it’s not just fun, it keeps the marital strife at bay. Have you ever tried holding a grudge against someone while spooning them? It’s difficult, very difficult indeed. I’ve found that cuddling is a fantastic way to improve both people’s moods, calm down disagreements, and promote intimacy. It’s my go-to at any sign of trouble in paradise.

I really should have realized the power of cuddling sooner, considering that I have been long-time friends with Snow Whore, a master cuddler if there ever was one. But since I have now been using and proving her method for a whole year with amazing success, she deserves a shout-out. SW, you were right. Although that hot, spicy sex is pretty fun, I will concede: the best part of marriage is cuddling.