Lately, I have been reading and thinking about marriage. I am by no means an expert on it, but I have been married 2 ½ years now, so at least I can say that. Of course, I see some people saying that quantity, especially at 2 ½ years, doesn’t mean much – how about the quality? For most of us, I would assume that when it comes to marriage the quality piece is more important to people than the quantity side. But what does that mean?
That is one of the topics I have been thinking about. What makes a good marriage? What makes it last AND makes it meaningful? Do we even have an agreed upon definition for quality here?
My assumption is that there are some generalities, but again, that is an assumption. Overall, I think what a marriage means varies both between and among couples. Do I view my marriage as something that adds to my happiness? Do I attribute some meaning to my marriage? Do I look to my marriage to fulfill certain needs and wants? How about my spouse? Does he or she have similar or conflicting views on what the marriage means to him or her? Admittedly, these are some deeper questions that I am not sure I have spent much time on – not that I don’t have deep feelings about it, but have I ever really thought about the meaning that I assign to my marriage?
I find these questions intriguing, and I would like to spend some time reflecting on them. Of course another caveat is that I am sure the answers may change over time – marriage, as far as I see it, is a dynamic thing.
How about you? If you are married, how do you feel about it? What does it mean to you? What does it mean to your spouse? If you are not married, what meaning do you assign to it? I challenge you to look deeper and consider what this relationship means from your point of view.