Relational Dynamics

Anyone who is married and committed to a sound relationship understands relational maintenance. I hear many people describe it as a struggle, but not in our case. We have a high degree of respect for each other and are very compatible with the way we expect things to be done. We had to build to this level of course. I was the initiator being that I was never very shy. My persistence paid off as we began the experimenting stage of getting to know each other and working through that uncertainty stage and deciding if we want to continue with each other. the relationship intensified quickly as we fell for one another. We expressed feeling toward each other more freely and openly with the intent of growing even closer. Pretty soon, we were integrated into each other’s lives and always together as a couple. This was huge for me because up until then, I was always out with my buddies and dating random girls along the way. Our bonding stage was obviously in the form of marriage and it hit me, this is the most important thing I have ever done and I have to do this right. Over the years there naturally comes differentiation which is a good thing for relationships. We cannot be “joined at the hip” all of the time. We each have interests that the other does not share. I must say, I do not detect any behavior resembling a circumscribing stage as we are still very close and enjoy as much time together as possible.