lasting marriage

The Fine Line Between Marriage and Divorce

"3 common factors in lasting marriages: "The happiest wives have a sense of purpose and passion in work and causes outside of the home. Wives who counted on a spouse for fulfillment and sustenance were often angry and lonely. And the happiest wives don't spend a whole lot of time with their husbands... Couples who allow each other to grow separately are the ones with the best chance of growing together and staying together.

"Finally, the wives with the highest marital satisfaction have a tight circle of wild women friends with whom to drink, travel and vent about their husbands"

"But most women told me they stay married simply because they like their marriages more than they dislike them, even if much of the time it's 51 percent "like" to 49 percent "dislike.""

 i'm very much starting to believe that all it really takes in a normal marriage (so no major problems like domestic abuse, addiction, repetitive cheating, frequent lying about money...) is commitment. don't expect to be happy all the time, don't expect your spouse to give you reason to live, just... don't let divorce be an option.

i recently told this to someone and she said her professor once said something like "the key to a successful marriage is not falling out of love at the same time." which is i think is pretty good. but even if you are both no longer in love with each other, that doesn't automatically mean you should get divorced. i think people today weigh love much too heavily. there's more to marriage (and life!), you know? like companionship, acceptance, respect, affection...