A little unsolicited advice for young men

I'm in my 40s, and turning grey, and I've been married to my only wife for over 16 years now, so I figure I'm entitled to give a little marriage advice. Since I'm not a woman, I don't dare try to give them advice, so here are three things I wish I'd been told before I get married.

01. You won't always feel this way. When you get married, you're what's known in a technical sense as "crazy", and that's fine. One day you won't be, and that's also fine, because no one can live that way indefinitely. Once the hormones slow down, you have to live with her for the next 50 years or so, and that's what really matters.

02. Marriage won't solve everything. If you're screwed up before you get married, you'll still be screwed up after you get married. All you're doing is adding someone at least as screwed up. That's like putting out a fire by throwing a hand grenade on it.

03. Talk to her before marriage. Specifically, talk about marriage. You each have a right to know and correct the other's expectations. (The only thing more insane than not doing this beforehand is expecting her to read your mind afterward.) Most importantly, make one hard and fast rule: divorce is not an option. And talk to her after marriage, too.

There are several more, but I'll save them, because those are the most important and they took much longer than I'd anticipated. If I'm going to post anything tonight, I'd better stop with these three.