04/06/2026
I think the essence of a marriage is to choose and be chosen. And each person‘s job, day after day, is to live and act toward the other person in ways that make them *feel* chosen.
[This is opposed, of course, to insisting and arguing to them that you ARE choosing them when they come to you and tell you they’re not feeling it.]
This will, and should, affect every area of your life—your money, your calendar, your friend choices, your sleeping arrangements, the temperature in your house, who does what around the house, what is and is not considered cheating.
EVERYTHING.
This is what most people think they are getting when you choose to marry them, unless you have specifically arranged things otherwise. So if you’re going into an intimate relationship concerned about yourself and your own space above all else, you may not be ready for what this relationship requires. And if you’re not consciously planning to choose your partner above all else, you owe it to them to tell them that before you marry or move in with them.
I think a strong argument can be made that choosing a person, day after day, is also a pretty good definition of marital love.