More Work To Do

For today's exercise, begin by reflecting on any long term romantic partnerships from your life. Let's arbitrarily set twenty years as our parameter for long term. That's a little less than half the time my wife and I have been together.

Now, over those twenty (or more) years, think back on any people you've known as a couple that you ever socialized with fairly regularly.  Of those people - if the individual or couple still lives within reasonable proximity to you - which of them do you almost never see any more? How many of that group were initially your friends? How many were initially your partner's friends? Leave out of your tallies any folks you and your partner(s) met at or near the same time, i.e. the initial friendship was shared rather than primarily yours or your partner's.

OK, which group of people that you now rarely, if ever, see - those that were your friends initially or those that were your partner's - is larger? Finally - What conclusion do you draw from this data?

After forty one years with my wife, a higher number of the people we once regularly socialized with and now no longer see were initially my wife's friends. The disparity is not large but it is undeniable. And, after reflecting on that disparity and recalling several interactions, my preliminary conclusion is not that surprising. Over the years my wife has simply been easier to get along with socially than I. More work to do.