Lisa and I have now been married for one year! Whenever we meet couples who have been in relationships for 30, 40, or 50 years we always ask them, “What is your secret to a happy and successful marriage?” Based on their expert tips, along with our own personal experience, Lisa and I have built our relationship around four key pillars.
The first pillar, and arguably the most important, is that we are each other’s best friends above all else. By prioritizing our friendship, as well as our love, we have found that we are able to have more fun, even when life gets tough. There will be ups and downs in every relationship, and the face of love will evolve, grow, and change, but as long as there is a strong undertone of friendship and camaraderie, nothing will ever be able to come between us.
The second pillar is honesty. Having the ability to be open and honest with your partner encourages communication. Lisa and I respect one another enough that we will always be honest with each other even if it hurts. There is no room for secrets so we have made a commitment to always work through everything together.
The third pillar is to always have fun together! No matter what situation we are in, whether that is sitting in traffic, grocery shopping, or any other mundane activity, we do our best to have a laugh and make it fun. We have been caught dancing in the aisles of the grocery store, singing our hearts out in rush hour traffic, and opening a bottle of wine at the end of a stressful day.
The final pillar is to spend time and share new experiences with each other. One thing we learned as a couple is that we love to travel together to new places (Lisa introduced me to the exciting world of travel!). Over the last five years, we have made amazing memories in countries such as Kenya, France, the USA, Italy and Switzerland, just to name a few. I’ve officially been bitten by the travel bug! Together, we love exploring different cultures, trying different foods, learning about traditional healing therapies, hiking, and making friends with people from all over the world.
These four pillars set the foundation for our marriage, however, I think if I could give anyone one piece of important advice it would be to remain present. It is so easy to get distracted and miss out on the small, fleeting, and precious moments. Never underestimate the effect that listening to your partner has – so get off your phone or tablet, leave work at work, and enjoy your quality time together! Life is short and when you find the person that you decide to spend the rest of your life with, seize the day, make the memories, and be present for all of it.
Images courtesy of The Holmes Group and Jordan Presseault
