Many young people fear they will be trapped in a marriage that has become stale, predictable, or boring. The term commitment-phobic often refers to a terror of being stuck in a lifeless relationship that leaves both partners empty, resentful, or both. Pearl and Seymour are living proof that such a fate is not inevitable; love, passion, and vitality can continue to grow even when a couple has been together for nearly seven decades.
They have been married for 65 years and are still madly in love.
Unlike many retired couples whose lives and interests have narrowed down to a small number of friends and activities, they continue to live on a broad playing field. For them, now well into their eighties, life is still very much about play. Not play in the literal sense of amusing activities, but play in the sense of approaching all of life’s circumstances with an open mind and a desire to experience learning, fun, and engagement with others.
