You Signed Up For This

Two weeks into COVID in March 2020 I was asked by NPR and WBEZ Chicago to give advice on how couples could manage the transition to working from home and what was then isolation and shelter in place. Here is a link to the article and audio but I want to focus in on one of the key takeaways which is that when you agreed to partnership you signed up for all that may lie ahead. In nearly all marriage and partnership vows couples make affirming statements about their commitment to each other to weather the storms of life. For better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health and while we may always hope to not have to test these commitments out, shit happens. My advice in the linked piece was for couples to remind each other that they signed up for this. This is what the vows meant. This is hard and unprecedented and scary but you have each other and that is a privilege. In secure functioning relationships bad and scary and hard things still happen but you use the strength and security of the relationship to your advantage.

Link to Article here