Hope Springs, keep your relationship alive
Last weekend we went to dinner and a movie with another couple and we (women) choose for “Hope Springs” because the trailers looked funny and we could all use a good laugh.
The talented Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones were both excellent in their roles and funny too. They portray a couple who had been married for over 30 years, attending an intense counseling session to work on their relationship.But, in case you want to see the movie too, I won’t spill the content.
In spite of some slow moments, the movie was very funny and we were really bursting out in laughter at times. There were some sad parts too, examples of real life issues people are dealing with. Overall it was a good movie that I wouldn’t mind seeing again, if only for the laughs.
The movie shows that just because a couple has been together for a long time, it doesn’t mean everything is peachy (good). Yes, you do learn to live with each other, accept who the other person is, but that doesn’t mean there is no room for improvement. In fact, I believe there is always something to work on in any relationship no matter how young/old, be it a marriage, female or coed friendship, parent-child relationship. People and circumstances change so you have to adjust as well or become a “fixture”.
Some people do not even know that they are stuck in a rut, until someone points it out or they go watch a movie like “Hope Springs” and recognize their life on the big screen. They are so busy with day-to-day life, work, kids, social life, that they don’t realize their personal relationship(s) may be suffering after years of doing the same, over and over again. They may be together, share a home or meals, give the kids what they need, pay the bills, but eventually it will become clear that without spontaneity and an intimate (emotional or physical) relationship it’s all an empty shell. It only gets worse when the kids move out to live on their own and the couple is suddenly left alone with a lot of free time, but nothing to do together anymore. Who can be happy with that?
This movie is a great reminder not to take your marriage and partner for granted. It takes some effort to make a relationship work (again) and be happy in it. Why not do something new? A different haircut, give flowers for no reason, hold hands in public, go out in the middle of the week, take an unplanned trip, there is so much you can do, to bring excitement back into your marriage or relationship. You have to give it your best before you ever give up, otherwise you will never know what you could be missing!
Go see that movie. You’ll get a good laugh and maybe some pearls of wisdom as well!