Long marriages - the secret?

My wife and I are working on our 53 years of marriage. I dated her for two years before we married. We both are 73 and raised three kids, who blessed us with 6 grandkids, who so far have blessed is with one great Grandson...and the beat goes on.

One of our rules we used in our marriage, that my mom shared with me when we got married is to, "never go to bed angry at each other"! Stay up and work it out until you are both settled, then go to bed. It is sometimes hard to do, but it keeps those arguments limited in time and making up can be real fun for the both of you...

As some have said, the relationship changes as you age....but not as much for some, as for others! We are still very attracted to each other...and we are very best friends!
 

There's no secret, what a marriage needs in order to last is:

Communication: A study published by Cornell University found that communication is the number one trait of marriages that last.

Commitment: The same study also found that a sense of commitment is a key factor in long-lasting marriages. Commitment is the glue that holds a marriage together, there are no judgements, guilt trips, or threats of divorce.

Kindness: When it comes to maintaining a good marriage, the old adage is true: “A little kindness goes a long way.” While it may seem too simple, just think, are kindness and generosity often the first behaviours encouraged in children and reinforced throughout a person’s life? Applying kindness and generosity to marriages and long-term committed relationships may be a little more complex, but the basic golden rule should still be applied.

Acceptance: People in happy marriages accept their own faults as well as those of their partner. They know that no one is perfect, so they take their partner for who they are.

Love: It should go without saying that a loving couple is a happy couple. This is not to say that everyone has to be in love with their spouse. Healthy, mature love is something that needs time in order to develop. This isn’t to say that a loving marriage can’t be passionate, on the contrary, passion is what vitalises the relationship.
 
CallMeKate said:
Doggone, Dave, I do believe that's the sweetest thing I've heard in a very long time! @DaveA đź’•
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We held hands right up until my wife died after 54 years of marriage and the romance never faded. My heart still beat faster when I saw her walking up to our home with her walker, even when both of us were in our seventies! We met, fell in love instantly, married within nine months of meeting ( actually about three months real time since I was away at sea a lot of the time) and it took no effort on our part to stay in love! Having said that, we did a lot of fighting! Probably because making up is fun?
 
32 years together in September. I think our longevity is due to the fact that we have always connected on an intellectual level so we are best friends as well as spouses. We are also both very independent and allow each other our space. We don't make big deals of birthdays, anniversaries, etc. but we do like "special occasions" so we frequently book tickets to concerts, plays, movies, etc.
 
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