Sure, the love and relationship game has changed in recent years, but that doesn’t mean that the “old fashioned” decision to get married isn’t worth holding on to. I know that not everyone agrees with me, but the idea of being together with the same person for decades seems absolutely ideal to me. Here’s why:
- As a pair, you become greater than the sum of your parts. Together, side-by-side, and with each other’s support, you can push yourselves to new heights.
- You really do start to think of yourself as half of a whole. Your life is a journey together, and that makes you function as a team in every way imaginable. You’re in this together in every way, and that’s exhilarating.
- You’re more likely to be selfless, and that’s actually really rewarding. Sometimes, you make sacrifices because your partner gains more than you lose. And sometimes he’ll do the same for you. That style of thinking will bring you closer and make you stronger, and add a completely new dimension to your love.
- The stakes are higher when you fight, so you’re more likely to work through the tough times. You knew going in that there would be difficulties, and you agreed together to push through them. Your commitment to each other gives you a strong incentive to figure our how to help your relationship can make it through anything.
- You learn to love not just your partner’s strengths, but even their flaws. Of course you love them because of their knack for making new friends or their natural athleticism. But what about for their defensiveness or for how frustratingly aloof they can be sometimes? When you’re married, you get to see how your partner struggles to deal with their weaknesses, and you love them even more for it.
- You can totally break down in front of them and know it’ll be ok. When you’re the girlfriend, there’s always that little worry in the back of your head that you’ll be branded the crazy girl. When you’re the wife, you know they’ll just hug you and never let go.
- You can be unabashed and even jocular. Don’t be surprised if your bodily functions (and not the fun kind) become daily topics of conversation. One of the biggest surprises of marriage was how many poop jokes it entails. You’ll feel like you’re a kid again, and it’s kind of hilarious.
- It’s like having an awesome roommate that’ll never move out. When all of your best roomie friends keep on leaving to get married, you want to hop on the train too. Who else are you going to stay up too late with watching trashy television?
- There’s a spiritual dimension to marriage that is impossible to ignore. It’s not a coincidence that just about every religion sees marriage is seen as a holy union, with its own rituals, rites, and ceremonies. And religion aside, there’s something undeniably profound about joining together two lives, for life.
- If raising a family is in your future plans, marriage is a model that works. Sure, it’s not the only framework for having kids, but it’s one that has been tried and tested and is one working model. Raising kids is hard. Having a reliable, committed partner can help.
