Newlyweds are always so happy and in love. They'll do anything for each other and love being around one another. What makes them change after twenty years of marriage?
You know what I mean...we've all have seen it. The couple that meets in high school or college, gets married and lives happily ever after...NOT! What happens? I see it all the time. I can't tell you how many friends I have that have been married 20+ years, divorce, or cheat on one another. What causes this shift from "You're the only one for me" to "I don't find you attractive anymore" or "Can you hurry up and get this over with"?
I know down the road in our marriages we become grown-ups, with grown-up stress. We all know how difficult it is to take care of the kids, work 40+ hours a week, get the car fixed, buy a new air conditioner and still love to be around each other. But is that couple still in love? Can they find romance after the kids go to bed? When you've gained 30, 50 or more pounds will they still find you attractive? When the wrinkles and grey hair (or lack of hair) arrive, do they still kiss you?
I've talked to many friends in this situation. When your spouse says they don't find you attractive anymore because you've gained too much weight or lost your hair, what do you do? When you feel like you have nothing in common and rarely do anything together anymore, how do you change it? How do you get back what you had?
I do have one friend that had empty nest. She and her spouse struggled. They came to the realization that it was going to take a lot of work to keep their marriage together. So, how committed are you? Do you truly love your spouse? Are you looking at them and thinking how you really want to make it another 20+ years? Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to find out if your spouse is as committed as you are. What happens if they aren't? That's a bridge you may have to cross, but if you're already unhappy, you're already at the entrance. It can't hurt to find out if your spouse feels the same as you do. If they do, work on it, with all your heart and soul, like you did when you dated years ago. If they don't....
