Member-only story
Why Marriages Should be Leases
My mom once said one of the most profound things I have ever heard about relationships:
“Marriages should be leases, and after ten years, you should get to choose if you would like to renew the lease or trade your partner in for a new or different model or simply choose to continue without a partner entirely.”
When she said this, I was married and laughed it off.
I thought it was the speech of a jaded older woman who truly did not understand the value of a partnership.
Though I am no longer in the relationship I was in when she made that statement, I am in a long-term, committed relationship, but I am older now, and her words do not ring as comedic and light as they had back when I originally heard them.
Marriage is hard.
Marriage is complicated.
Marriage is a lot of strife and sacrifice.
Marriage can be lonely.
Why?
(Some) People change.
Some people change a lot over the course of their life. They change their values, ideals, and priorities. They change their hair, diet, exercise routine and lifestyle overall. These changes can fundamentally…
