Living (Somewhat) Happily Married Ever After

There are many statistics on marriage. The most popular of which is that 50% of marriages end in divorce (though there is evidence accumulated since the 2000s that suggests otherwise). Those statistics don't take into account the married couples that separate (2.3% of people in the US are separated legally or physically).

Statistics, as detailed and daunting as they may be, don't deter people from pursuing relationships to satisfy their needs for love (whatever type of love or definition of it one may have). Though these statistics may not discourage most, they should encourage all who are privy to them to give consideration to their insights.

Since it is better to acknowledge a statistic than to become one, this research can provide strategies (or at the very least motivation) to prevent that from happening. Romantics should take heed. The alternative is to embark upon a relationship with the best of intentions to live happily ever after with someone, and to only end up living somewhat happily ever after.

There are no marital statistics for this group of people, or labels for these types of couples, but you know them. They are neither happy nor unhappy in their relationships. They are neither passionate nor dispassionate about each other. Their relationships are not bad enough to leave, but they are also not good enough to stay (based on what they envisioned for themselves). They remain together as a couple and seem to be content within that bland coexistence.

Living somewhat happily ever after is not a choice, but a default state spawned by myriad scenarios, circumstances, and conditions that are often difficult for couples to identify, much less resolve. After all, no ones gets into a relationship to have it be mediocre, and no one gets married with the intention of living somewhat happily ever after, which can be changed with the acknowledgement and a renewed commitment to growth.