“Tell me about a time you were in love.”
“We met when I was a junior in high school. One of my girlfriends liked one of his guy friends so we snuck out one night to meet them at a park. The two of them did their own thing and me and him just sat on top of a jungle gym and talked for like 3 hours. At the end of the night I kissed him, and that was pretty much it. The next day he broke up with his girlfriend and we’ve been together ever since.”
“Ah…so you were a little homewrecker!”
“I know right! But she’s married now so I think it’s all fine.”
“And how old are you now?”
“28.”
“Wow, so you’ve been together over 10 years!”
“Yeah, it’s been almost 13 years. We’ve been apart some when I had to travel or he had to work; that gave us time to grow independent of each other, fortunately we were still able to connect after those times.”
“That’s pretty amazing. What’s the secret to making it work long term in a relationship?”
“It helps to start with unconditional love, but not everyone has that luxury. Trust, respect, and appreciation are key. Devote time to each other, to listen, to learn, to love, to share, to play, to understand, to comfort. Stay grateful for the little things and remember not to sweat the small stuff. And of course, always seek out some fun together! Try something new, revisit somewhere old, discover and explore and grow.”