Barracuda2
Contributor
Amadeus023:IMO - life is about balance and about give and take.
Except for Amadeus023 and a couple of others, most of these posts are all about "ME, MYSELF, AND I". Pretty Sad. I've been married to a non-diving spouse for going on 42 years and I've been passionately diving since I was 14. My wife knew exactly what she was getting into. In fact, she did get cert. after 15 yrs. of marriage, but it just never developed into "the passion". I realize the concept of marriage is not the same now as it was in 1965; probably why the divorce rate is outdistancing the marriage rate. Today,more and more start their relationship by "living together first". Why? To find out if "what you can do for ME will be enough". If it appears to be enough, I'll marry you, but if it proves not to be enough, I'm history. Believe it or not, marriage is somewhat a sacrifice for both partners. Both have to give. My wife gives by encouraging me to pursue my passion even though she is home alone, or sitting on a rocking dive boat, or hanging around the pool at the resort. I give by doing things with her that she enjoys; sometimes I really have to get a grip on myself. She loves cruises; I really dislike being on these "cattle boats", but I don't tell her that; I just go and make sure she has a good time. There are other activities that I have to "suffer" through because she is an individual person with likes and dislikes different from mine. And she "suffers" through mine. We made a commitment to each other "for better or worse" and the "give and take" has worked. Do I dive as much as I would like? No. Does she do the things she likes as much as she likes? No. We together balance our relationship; we both sacrifice. For those of you still married to the non-diving spouse, it's not too late. Try Giving (sacrificing) to your spouse and I'll bet you get it back in return. And I do say this realizing that to many of you younger people out there, the concept of "sacrifice" is totally foreign. However, if you don't explore it, your relationship will either end, or you both will exists in mutual resentment.