This old man’s divorce tale is most married couples’ story, except they won’t ADMIT it

What does being in a relationship mean? Does it have to last forever, or is it a beautiful phase of cherishing each other while it lasts? Commitment can be tricky; it makes you believe that the happy moments that you shared once will last forever, or it will come back if you wait until the end. Worse, it leads you into believing that bearing even the most torturous times with your partner is necessary as you’re meant to be together. Such expectations tend to rot most relationships, and staying in a toxic one only destroys your being.
Amid all the confusion, an elderly man’s account of his divorce after 36 long years is a welcome change of thought. Narrating his tale of how they were simply living their own lives together as they had “outgrown” each other, he recounts the memories and his words will strike a chord with most couples.
“I got divorced when I was sixty-four. We had a good run. We were married for 36 years. We’re not enemies. We just outgrew each other. When the kids were in the house, all our focus was on them. But after they left, there just wasn’t any reason to keep doing it. We were just living our own lives—together. Neither of us was all that interested in changing. So what’s the point in staying together? If you talk to most people my age, and they’re really being honest, they’ll tell you that they’re dissatisfied with their partner. But then they’ll shrug their shoulders and say: ‘Where else am I going to go?’ Because most people can’t stand to be alone. My ex-wife and I never had that problem.”