There is no greater joy than watching an old couple walking together into the sunset of their lives or seeing their strong bonds as they sit quietly in the park, sharing their silence peacefully.

Marriage occurs when the couple generally are young and full of life and hope. Reality dawns when the couple start living together and the honeymoon is over. The honeymoon has ended and you are settling into married life together back in "the real world." Now you are noticing things you never realized about your mate earlier. Monetary problems crop up, nosy relatives and friends interfere, and past history catches up. Trivial habits become major barriers and relations are strained. Little annoyances are grating on your nerves and sometimes your spouse seems more like an inconsiderate roommate than the love of your life.

The reality is that it is natural to feel this way. You are not alone in having doubts, or feeling disappointed as reality clashes with your expectations. However, after this stage of disillusionment can grow deep commitment to your spouse, based on life in the "real world." The honeymoon, or separation from the world, cannot last forever! Living together is a very difficult task. These days, however, many people have live-in relationships, but this is not the same as living together as husband and wife. This is the toughest part of marriage, you will see whether your relationship is strong enough to endure the heartaches of marriage or not. In marriage, there are other concerns like children, in-laws, societal norms, etc, which have to be managed equally well if a marriage has to be successful. Research shows that happily married men live much longer than single ones. All it requires is a sense of commitment, the lack of ego and a willingness to make the union successful. Simple, uneducated folks often understand this better than educated, biased minds.

Marriage means a synthesis of emotions and thoughts, a union of two minds - and that is more important than anything else. As the Old Testament states: "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.' The cleaving is not just of the bodies but of the minds, too. And it is also true that it is impossible to find a totally compatible couple. A 30 per cent compatible marriage is considered successful. One would wonder, "How can 30 per cent compatibility be considered a success in marriage?" Well, the rest is all about ‘give and take’ - compromise.

It takes a long time for the marriage to ripen and just like a tree that requires a lot of nurturing during the early years and provides ample fruits subsequently, marriage can also be a very fruitful relationship if given the required care and concern.

Once the honeymoon is over it takes lots of courage, patience and responsibility to make it successful. To have a healthy married relationship, both mates have to accept responsibility for resolving their problems with maturity. To walk on the path of togetherness happily and comfortably, both have to understand each other and resolve problems quickly. The sooner you get rid of the problems, the happier you will be. Just think about it this way: Have you ever tried or were able to walk with a little sand or a pebble inside your shoe even for a minute? No matter how small the grit, it is painful and irritating to walk around with it lodged inside the shoe. So what do you do? You immediately halt, remove the irritating object and then walk on. Remember you discard the grit and not the shoe. The obstacles and problems in the married life is like a grit/pebble. When you can not walk for a few minutes with a small stone in your shoe, how can a couple walk the entire course of life if there are problems in the relationship?

Marriage is a lifetime commitment, a pledge to do whatever is necessary to keep the relationship together. Spouses have to agree that keeping the marriage healthy and lively should be their top priority. For this, they have to commit time, efforts and energy. They both have to change some of their life styles which was an integral part of their lives when they were single. Once you are married, you have to make some tough decisions, such as spending less time with friends, going out to clubs every other day or something as simple as having a weekly 'date night'. Just couple of things and it will appear to you as if your honeymoon was never over:

  Spend quality time together, at least go out anywhere once a week just two of you, or plan a romantic getaway for the weekend.

  Communicate the problem right away once you know it.

  Be your spouse's best friend and know their heart and mind.

  Appreciate whatever your spouse does for you.

  Express feelings often.

  Express romantic feelings every day.

  Have a good sense of humor which could prevent any argument.

  Be romantic.