| When you are both standing at the altar with | | | | Like anything else, communication is a two way |
| stars in your eyes and love in your hearts, it is | | | | street. One person cannot do all the talking and |
| difficult to think how differently things can be in a | | | | the other one do all the listening. Talking is a skill |
| short time in the future. For some, that short | | | | that most of us are born with, but very few of |
| time is measured in months or even weeks, and | | | | us have really mastered, or even tried to master |
| for others that time frame is measured in years. | | | | the fine art of listening. You need to listen to what |
| It is amazing to note the number of divorces that | | | | your partner is saying, and value that input since |
| occur after a couple has been married for 25, 30, | | | | that is what they are thinking, that is what they |
| or even more years in today's society. | | | | are at right now. They are probably giving you |
| But in truth, except in extreme cases, chances | | | | clues, like a road map, in terms of how to get |
| are high that at least one of you, if not both of | | | | back on the same page as you are on. |
| you, really do not want a divorce. A divorce has a | | | | First, determine what has caused you to stop |
| permanence about it that neither one of you | | | | communicating effectively. In today's world, the |
| want to face. There will be ramifications from | | | | answer to that is frequently the fact that both of |
| family members, friends, your church or | | | | you are working full time, and at the end of the |
| synagogue, at your place of employment, and | | | | day, since you both put so much of yourself into |
| you just really do not want all those hassles. You | | | | your job, you have very little energy left over to |
| need to be asking yourself if a divorce is really | | | | devote to your relationship. It goes without saying |
| what you want, or if there are some things that | | | | that such a situation is not good and will inevitably |
| you could and should be doing differently, looking | | | | without fail be detrimental to your relationship. |
| at from a different perspective, and taking a | | | | Make an effort to save some of your energy to |
| more subjective viewpoint with. After all, you | | | | communicate with your spouse after a long hard |
| realized a long time ago that marriage is a set of | | | | day at work. It may actually help you to unwind, |
| compromises, and more often than not, a simple | | | | instead of rerunning the day's hassles in your |
| conversation about those compromises will clearly | | | | mind, to put those things out of your mind and |
| show that one or the other of you, and mostly | | | | concentrate on something else, like your spouse, |
| likely both of you, are not living up to those | | | | what they did today, and what was important in |
| compromises. | | | | their day. Showing interest in the other is always |
| Divorce usually becomes a situation when two | | | | a step closer towards effective communication. |
| people who were once very close, perhaps even | | | | For some couples, however, this is not enough. |
| soul mates, have become separated. Perhaps not | | | | They have drifted too far apart for too long of a |
| separated physically, but separated in terms of | | | | time to be able to effectively reestablish |
| being mentally on the same page with the same | | | | communication between them. There are more |
| goals and the same objectives. So digging a little | | | | considerations you should be thinking about before |
| deeper, the root cause is almost always | | | | the answer of divorce should be considered, |
| communications, or rather, a LACK of | | | | however, all of which should be very seriously |
| communication between the two of you. So | | | | considered prior to deciding that divorce is the |
| would increased communication get you back on | | | | only viable answer, because in a surprising number |
| the same page again? A surprisingly high number | | | | of cases, divorce was only one of many viable |
| of cases, after counseling, report that the answer | | | | options. |
| to that question is yes. | | | | |