Successful Marriages.....Really???

Successful marriages...are they possible? I don't know. Everyone knows someone who has been married for a long time, maybe even 30, 40, 50 years. But I always wonder, how happy are they after all those years? Do they still want to be married to one another or is it more of a necessity given their advancing years? Often, I have found that couples married for a long time can't really stand one another. After many years of the little irritating habits like leaving clothes on the floor, squeezing toothpaste from the middle, or whatever else, they just grate on one another's nerves. I think longevity doesn't necessarily equal success when it comes to marriage.

So what does equal success? Perhaps still wanting to be around each other. Maybe it's finding the other person interesting after hearing their opinions for years. I don't know. I do know that in my experience (being that I'm divorced), not expecting the other person to make you happy might be the key. The other person isn't supposed to fill your every need. If you expect that,then you can never be happy. Had I known this simple fact years ago, I have no doubt that I would have chosen differently when it came to spouses.