Stage 3 - Everything Would Be Great If YOU Changed.
Stage 4 - That's Just The Way My Partner Is.
Stage 5 - Together, At Last!
Where do you see your relationship as being at now on the marriage map?
ok, I'll admit I spend way to much time between 3 and 4 For both you and your partner? I can honestly say that I'm not sure of h's thoughts but I would imagine as long as I'm not complaining he'd probably say 5
What stages have you been to already? all of them
What stages have you spent the most time in, and which ones have you seemed to breeze right through, or maybe even bypassed? I think I've spent way to much time in 3 or 4 while h spends most of his time in 4 or 5, of course I feel like each time we get to 1 we breeze right through it, damn wish that we could get stuck there for a while. I think that when we get to 5, I often start to let fear pull me back to 2,3 and 4...some ridiculous prodective device in my brain I guess.
How do you feel about the thought of bouncing back and forth between stages? I think it all depends on what stages you bounce to and how often you stay in certain ones, About the stages sometimes being "three steps forward, and two steps back"? leads to a sense of despair at times "when will things ever seem "right" Does this help to give you hope for where you're at on the map right now?! knowing that there are stages and that it's somewhat normal (least I hope it is) to bounce from one to another at times helps, also knowing that things can be better (have been and can/will be again in a few days, weeks, minutes) also helps to pull me out of stage 2 when I foolishly allow myself to go there.
To quote Michele....
Quoting :The quality and quantity of love you feel for each other are never stagnant. Love is dynamic. So is marriage. The wiser and more mature you become, the more you realize this. The more you realize this, the more time you and your spouse spend hanging out in Stage 5. Together, at last.
Your thoughts on this? I think that in some sense if both partners have an understanding that things will not always be perfect in a way no matter what stage you are in you are "together at last" because you both understand the ebb and flow of the marital relationship
knowing that there are stages and that it's somewhat normal (least I hope it is) to bounce from one to another at times helps, also knowing that things can be better (have been and can/will be again in a few days, weeks, minutes) also helps to pull me out of stage 2 when I foolishly allow myself to go there. 