Selection from Joseph Langen’s book Navigating Life: Commonsense Reflections for the Voyage
Love does not consist in gazing at each other,
but in looking outward together in the same direction.
~Antoine de Saint-Exupery~
When I first worked with couples, I thought the key to a better relationship was good communication. As I continued my career, I realized that marriage and similar relationships were more complicated than that. I also learned that there is no easy solution to staying together. Half of all marriages last and half don’t, despite a commitment “til death do us part.” I have not encountered any reliable statistics on the comparative success rate of relationships outside of marriage.
Most people say they got together because they love each other. But what does that mean? Love can mean sexual or romantic feelings, finding someone who cares about you or whom you care about. Many potential partners look for someone to take care of them. They might also be in the market for someone to take care of. Yet it is very easy to fall into the trap of depending on someone who might not always be there or trying to control the other person to keep the relationship the way they want it.
What does it take to keep the commitment alive? In his book, Passionate Marriage, David Schnarch suggests that one of the most important tasks is for each spouse or partner to know himself or herself before entering into a commitment. If you don’t know what you want from life, how can you reasonably expect another person to share your life with you? What are you asking the other person to share?
Let’s assume that two people understand what they want from life, share their goals with each other and agree to support each other in attaining them.ng together That’s a good start. But wait a minute. Think back to how your life was ten, twenty or thirty years ago and what was important to you back then. Have you changed? Most of us have and are quite different now than we were in the past. There is no way to absolutely predict what you will be like in the future or what your partner will be like.
Your chances of staying together improve greatly if you both enter your relationship with a sense of adventure. You are setting out on an unknown voyage. Life circumstances, finances and health might alter your voyage considerably. You or your partner might both learn new life destinations. You might learn new ways to approach life taking you in different directions than you agreed on when you began your relationship. It will take a great deal of flexibility from both of you to weather all the challenges and surprises life has in store for you. To be successful, you must be responsible for meeting your own goals and support your partner in reaching his or her goals.
Life Lab Lessons
· Learn to know yourself and what is important to you.
· Share your life goals with your partner.
· Encourage you partner to share his or her life goals with you.
· Find ways to support each other’s goals.
· If you clash, look for ways to compromise. Book available at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Navigating-Life-Commonsense-Reflections-Mindfulness/dp/1974403890/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1623251876&sr=8-1