Marriage Is Building a Fire in the Rain

Marriage is Building a Fire in the Rain

Marriage is defined by Google, as the formal union of a man and a woman, a combination or mixture of two or more elements (google.com). A marriage is a success when the union is broken by fault or death and is a failure when that union is broken by either party.

For many centuries marriage has been considered as a milestone as part of life. Around the world marriage is viewed differently and done for different reasons. In India marriage is treated as an alliance between families rather than a union between individuals. In the Catholic Church, matrimony is the partnership a man and a woman establish between themselves before a priest. The most important and most common marriage though is for love.

Just like in mathematics there are many different formulas that can give you the answer to the problem. A successful marriage is the same way. There are many different formulas that can make a marriage work depending on the type of individual you and your significant other are. I personally have a successful marriage to date and I can say that the formula to my success has been love, respect, and compromise.

For the most part all marriages should have the key element to a successful marriage love. Love is what drives you to do everything you do for your significant other. That is what keeps on fueling the fire in the rain. Love is what pushes you to get married and it should not just end when you are married. It should continue until the marriage is dissolved. I have been married for ten years now and I still buy my wife flowers, give her a foot rub, and just plain out tell her how much I love her every day.

Treat others how you would like to be treated is what our parents teach us as children. That is respect and that has been another key element to my successful marriage. I treat my wife how I would like her to treat me. I don't insult her, hit her, or most importantly cheat on her. Respecting my wife shows her how much I love her.

Compromise is what has kept arguments to a minimal, having my yin to my yang. When I was a young and single I could do I pleased without having to get approval from anyone. Once I was married I could no longer do that because my actions not only affected myself but also my wife. Now when I want to do something I consult it with my wife whether it's buying a 60 inch television or just going out for a run. I let my wife know not so much for permission but to ensure that there is a mutual understanding. When there is a disagreement we talk about and try to come to an agreement that we both are satisfied with.

A successful marriage is not just between couples though. In 1981, the San Diego Padres drafted Tony Gwynn in the third round of the Major League Baseball draft. On July 19, 1982 Gwynn was called up from triple-A baseball to start in his first professional game. Gwynn would go on to