My grandparents were married for over 60 years – an amazing length of time when you think about how many marriages today come to an end after only a few years of giving it a try.
But this is reality and I’m not going to sit here and tell you that their marriage was not without its share of hardships and challenges along the way – that they never argued or disagreed about one thing or another. That my grandfather didn’t often refer to my grandmother as “fart-face” – a pet name I later learned he meant with no malice.
I don’t think you could be with the same person for that long and not bicker here and there – even butt heads from time to time. I mean 60 years breaks down to 720 months or 3,120 weeks – no matter how you look at it, that’s a long time to live in endless bliss without any kind of “hiccup” in the road.
But I have no doubt in my mind that they loved and appreciated each other. I know they enjoyed each other’s company whether it was simply cooking together, going to the movies, traveling all across the country or entertaining a certain grandson and his wife.
If you never really disagree or argue about something in your relationship, you’re not really communicating your feelings to your significant other. Now if the only kind of communication you know how to do is scream and yell at each other, that’s an entirely different issue all together. But a little butting heads every now and then can often move the relationship to another level as the “communicating” can often clear up an unresolved issue – never to resurface again.
So what’s my relationship like? I confess that we argue from time to time, but never to the point where ending my relationship is ever entertained as an option. Relationships will never be perfect all the time – regardless of the ideology that many young people today seem to have.
Not to sound cliché, but it has its ups and its down, but what really matters is what your relationship is like during the straight and level times you share together. It’s that very important time which explains how any marriage can rack up 60+ years.