Lifelong couples told me their secrets. This is what they said.

free to read courtesy of Mike Peterson)

Lifelong couples told me their  secrets. This is what they said.

Perspective by Nathan Gray, MD

Comics contributor

  February 14, 2023 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/02/14/lifelong-couples-relationship-advice/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWJpZCI6IjMwNzY0ODkiLCJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNjc2NjEwMDAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNjc3OTA1OTk5LCJpYXQiOjE2NzY2MTAwMDAsImp0aSI6IjA2ZmY1OWM2LTg0ZjctNDI5NS05NjBmLTBlMzE3MjAyZDk3NiIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS93ZWxsbmVzcy8yMDIzLzAyLzE0L2xpZmVsb25nLWNvdXBsZXMtcmVsYXRpb25zaGlwLWFkdmljZS8ifQ.hxlLtkHrKaFh_F5tDYL7I5IrjE6kD5segapuXisAkP0&itid=gfta

In my work as a palliative care doctor, I meet people of all ages in the hospital who are grappling with serious illness. But when I meet couples that have been together for decades, I always wonder what has kept them together for so long.

Selfishly, I'm hoping for pointers, but their responses offer a window into their lives and what matters to them. These are a sampling of their answers — from the unattainable to the inspiring — plus, the one characteristic they all have in common.