A couple very close to me is separating. I know the path to divorce is a common one. Still, I’m shocked and devastated. Sometimes I find myself questioning why anyone even bothers with marriage. If ‘until death do we part’ isn’t realistic for the masses, what is the point? There doesn’t seem to be a magic line where, once crossed, the couple is safe from imploding. The compassionate part of me supports the idea of people who are unhappy finding their way out of a toxic relationship. The selfish part of me dreads the thought of my world changing from the death of the relationship and wants them to stick to their vows no matter the personal cost. My marriage is young enough I am still able to cling to the hope that the relationship is as good or bad as I make it out to be. Sans abuse (physical, mental, substance), I can’t imagine not being able to reinvent my marriage should it falter at times. I guess part of my issue with processing the collapse of other peoples’ marriages is the inner fear I might not have as much control over happily ever after as I thought.
