This week my wife Kathy and I celebrate 25 years of a successful and happy marriage. As with any couple, we have had our challenges; ups and downs, side to sides and the craziness that comes with having a family of five kids, three dogs, household, two martial arts schools, real estate investments, hobbies, interests and life. We attribute the success of our marriage to what we now call, “The laws of a Happy Marriage”.
1. Remember the “Why”: Kathy and I consistently rekindle our relationship by reflecting on our memories. This enables us to remember “Why” we originally fell in Love.
2. Find ways to have fun: Kathy and I both live by the motto, “If it’s not fun, why do it”. This even refers to the more mundane tasks that we have to do. We both have the unique ability to create fun wherever we go and whatever we do. This makes our lives exciting and somewhat adventurous.
3. Prioritize our time together: We both have a lot going on and often find ourselves not seeing each other for most of the day. There are times that I get home late and Kathy is already in bed. I am not around for dinner much, so we block out time to have breakfast at least two times a week. It is our time to be together alone and spend quality time.
4. Get away as a couple: As selfish as it sounds, Kathy and I have been leaving our children since they were very young. It coincides with remembering why we got married in the first place. We go away as a couple at least once a year, sometimes two times so we could continue to strengthen our relationship. When we are strong, we could be strong for everyone else.
5. Respect each other's roles: I know that I cannot not do what I do if Kathy doesn’t do what she does, and vice versa. We are a team, and we pick up the slack where the other person needs. Kathy has her responsibilities in our lives, and I have mine. It is an understanding we both have, and respecting each others roles is what makes things work smoothly.
There you have it, Chris & Kathy’s laws of a happy marriage. Who knows, maybe we’ll write a book someday. All I know is that it has been a blast to ride alongside such a beautiful soul as my wife for a quarter of a century. I hope that you could apply some of these tips to strengthen your relationship with the one you love.
