What did you expect marriage to be like? You probably imagined what your wedding day would be like. Maybe your wedding was a dream come true, but has your marriage been what you thought it would be?
For some couples, marriage is more than they ever hoped for or dreamed it could be. For others, it’s not even remotely the way they planned it. One of the reasons married life can be a shock for some is because they go into it with unrealistic expectations.
For me, it’s actually been a little of both. It’s better in some ways than I could have ever known, but at the same time, it’s a lot more work than I expected it to be. While I think it’s well worth it, I just didn’t realize it would require much effort.
Love is not the only thing spouses need to survive as a couple. Many people still love each other even if they end up deciding that they cannot live together. Besides love, there are many other factors that come into play such as trust, commitment, communication, respect, the ability to forgive, family, shared values or beliefs, stress, solving problems… and there are times when such issues cannot be resolved together.
If marriage is not what you expected, it’s a good idea to get these thoughts out into the open. Sit down and talk to your spouse about what you would like the relationship to be like. Talk about things you would like to fix or change. Ask for his or her input. Even if you’re at a point where your marriage doesn’t seem to be all that it can be, today is a great day to start working toward improving it. If the two of you are committed to a lasting marriage, you can make it into the relationship you always wanted.