When we’re lost, hopeless, or confused, who do we turn to for advice? Usually someone who’s older and has more experience than us. This is especially true when it comes to relationships. From the time we experience our first breakup to the moment we’re about to say, “I do,” we tend to search for advice from our elders.
Due to this commonality that many of us have, Great Big Story decided to interview several couples around the world who have been married for 30 or more years. In the interviews, the couples revealed how they met, what they love (and hate) about their partner, and ultimately, how they’ve been able to stay together for so many years. It turns out, we can learn a lot from them and their wisdom!
While these couples might be soul mates and life-long partners, what they aren’t is a completely perfect pair. (And trust me, most of these couples don’t love everything about each other!)
One married man in the interview even admitted that he and his wife are quite dissimilar, but they still manage to make things work.
“One thing that bugs me a little now and back then is that she talks too quietly, and she thinks I speak loudly,” he said. “The truth is, we were not similar. We were just willing to coexist.”
Overall, the interviews with each couple taught us many things.
For one, they taught us that no two couples are alike. Some might claim that they fell instantly fell in love when they met their now-spouse. Others might have met their husband or wife very early on in life, but they admitted they weren’t interested at all at first.
The couples’ answers also taught us that true love isn’t all butterflies and rainbows. Happily-married couples still have their fair share of clashing moments, but it’s all about how they accept one another’s flaws and differences.
Prior to the interviews, you might have had high expectations for love. Maybe you thought you’d have to be instantly swept off your feet upon meeting that special someone. You also might have thought that meant-to-be couples had to be similar in order to get along. And, maybe you thought “the one” would never do anything to annoy you and vice versa. But for these couples, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
And, another takeaway from the interviews is that grand gestures don’t equate how much you love someone. When asked what they love the most about their partner, the couples’ answers prove that love is all about the little things one does to put a smile on their partner’s face and make them feel wanted.
In the end, all romantic relationships differ (and don’t accurately reflect fairytale love stories at all), and that’s the beauty of them.
You’ll be surprised when you listen to what else the couples have to say below!
