Marriage Counseling for the Young at Heart
Belinda and Sam had been married over 40 years before entering couples counseling. Both had decided to go on a worldwide trip for which they had saved for over 15 years. Both seemed like an easy-going pair, humorous and carefree. So what brought them into counseling?
According to Sam:
I wasn’t willing to go on a long trip with my wife and risk us arguing. I want this trip to be perfect. We worked too hard for it. Lately, we’ve been bickering about the trip - what to bring, how long to stay in one location. It seems like, for some reason, this trip is bringing out the worst in us. I’m just concerned the second this trip starts, our marriage is going to start unraveling.
With some deeper exploration, the counselor uncovered some bigger truths. The couple rarely spent long periods of time with one another. Both had been consumed by their occupations for years and both hadn’t taken a vacation in over 20 years.
The counselor realized that while this couple got along on the surface, they had disconnected somewhat over years of lack of interaction. The couple began getting to know one another again, which started with negotiating the terms of this trip. The trip, ultimately, represented more than just a trip. It represented the heart of this couple and how they managed with one another on a more complex level. Both parties were happy to do the work it took to make their well-planned trip as hapy as possible.
