Different strokes

We were marking Father's Day with with family, friends, and a barbecue today.

Two of our dear friends were there. We are always amazed by how different they are from us. Their marriage is very strong and they work well together... but they are SO different from each other. We've got a fine ol' marriage ourselves and we are great for each other... but we are really quite similar.

This is proof positive that there are different paths to happiness. You might find it by being quite different from your spouse. Or you might find that the two of you are very similar. You might find it from spending most of your time together or from spending quite a bit of time apart, for example.

The keys?

1. Find what works for the two of you.
2. Give each other what you need.
3. Be willing to compromise on the things that aren't critical to you, if they are important to your lover.
4. Make sure that you are both making the compromises, not just one of you.
5. Lastly, premarriage education can help you go into the marriage with eyes wide open, aware that there will be differences and armed with some more ways of dealing with them.
   
   Happy Couples, Happy Planet!

posted by Heather and Dan @ 9:11 PM