Valentine's Day is coming up, and for those of you are celebrating impending nuptials this year, you might want to give your soon-to-be spouse a copy of Annmarie Kelly's The Five-Year Marriage before you say "I do".
What is a "five-year marriage"? I'm glad you asked. When I participated in a webinar with Annmarie and her book's publicists, she started off by telling us that she'd been married six times and each time for only five years. What?
That's right. Annmarie and her husband started off their time together by committing to marriage for only five years. At the end of those five years, they reevaluated their priorities, both individually and together, and decided if they wanted to commit to another five years. They even had another wedding celebration!
I so wish this book had been written before I'd gotten married because I think it has great advice on what to look for (and look out for) in a partner, plus there seem to be a lot of positives about looking at marriage through this unique lens: more open communication, both partners' needs are being heard and (hopefully) met, and your marriage can grow and change along with how your lives grow and change.
If you, like me, are already married, I don't think it's too late to start some of the Five-Year Marriage practices. I love the idea of monthly Family Meetings to discuss finances or whatever else is important to you at that time. It might be difficult to establish these new habits with your partner since he or she is already so accustomed to the way you've been doing marriage, but it could be well worth it.
There is also a website where you can find more information and guidance from the author.
The Five-Year Marriage is published by Optimal Living Press and is available to purchase now. I received a free review copy in exchange for my honest review.
Comments
Post a Comment