The Heart of Love: continued...
Much had changed in the decades they had been away, but the pizza place, much like their love, was still going strong. Dave still loves holding hands with Marianne and kissing her, and Marianne loves their impromptu movie outings and travelling together. The couple are together so often that people are surprised to see them apart.
Marianne and Dave aren’ t sure why some marriages last and others don’ t, but they know teamwork plays a large part.“ Many say that it’ s opposites that attract, but I’ m not so sure,” Dave said. If a couple can’ t see eye to eye on anything, the marriage becomes a battle.“ The obstacles can’ t be so great that you can’ t solve them. And you can’ t just do it by yourself,” Marianne said.
Dave also thinks people misinterpret the idea of compromise.“ It doesn’ t mean‘ I give up. You’ re right, I’ m wrong.’ Anywhere that you have compromise, you’ re both wrong and you’ re both right, and you have to find where those two intersect,” he explained.
It ' s also the little things that keep their marriage strong. After a woman told Marianne that she should always kiss Dave goodbye because you never know what day will be your last, Marianne took it to heart. For the past 46 years, the couple make sure to kiss each other goodbye whenever they leave. And if Dave forgets, he always turns around and comes back to give her a kiss.
The path of life has its twists and turns, but in choosing to navigate those turns together, it has never felt tumultuous for the couple.“ Every day’ s an adventure. When things don’ t go exactly as they’ re supposed to, oh well. It’ ll turn out just fine in the end,” Dave said.
If there’ s one thing to learn from these couples, it’ s that love isn’ t about grand gestures. It’ s about being there, being reliable and supportive, and choosing each other every day.
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