What 80 Years of Marriage Looks Like

My friend Erika of Rouge and Whimsy posted this link to a British couple that recently celebrated their 80th wedding anniversary. 

The darling couple, Maurice and Helen Kaye, are interviewed in the video and I love watching how they interact together. 

A highlight:

The interviewer: What's he been like as a husband? Does he ever bring you flowers, chocolates?

Helen: No. He once bought me flowers, they were all dead. I don't know where he bought them. But no, never flowers, and never chocolates. But he's been very kind in different ways.

I love that comment for a lot of reasons. First, I think it's hilarious, honest, and direct. And second, because I think it highlights that to have a long lasting marriage, you don't have to fit your relationship into what culture "expects" a happy marriage to look like. I love that each relationship is different and there is no formula. What a freeing thought that love can look a lot of different ways besides the standard "flowers and chocolates." I also love that this debunks other myths like date night always has to be on a Friday night or the wife is always the one who stays home with the kids. Marriage is creative and unique, and doesn't have to be confined to the box of cultural norms to be successful. 

This couple also laughs a lot, which is encouraging to me because that's one thing I love about my own marriage. My husband and I have a lot of fun together, and I hope that continues for 79 more years like this couple. 

Happy 80th, Maurice and Helen! Cheers to your legacy.