The Second Lesson: Friendship Is as Important as Romantic Love

The familiarity and connectedness that long-term couples generally experience not only promote these dynamics but would be impossible without them. Everyone, after all, wants to be understood. We admire couples who know each other so well that they finish each other’s thoughts, and the experience of “growing old together” is a comforting and gratif

This misalignment characterizes the relationship more than accessibility, responsiveness, and engagement, which are the elements needed to sustain a loving union. The critical question “Are you there for me?” that holds couples together over time is answered more often than not with a vague and somewhat distracted “Not really.” Usually the eating a