... That's why if I were married and my wife lost interest in sex I would be wondering if her feelings towards me had changed. ...
Originally Posted by cowboy8055
Interesting comment, and one that provokes a thought or two. I am married; my wife has lost interest in sex; and
of course her feelings for me have changed. (If they hadn't, she'd still want sex; she used to, and I have the grown children to prove it.) But with age comes wisdom, I hope ... at least a little. My feelings for her have changed, too. And it isn't so much that those feelings -- either hers or mine -- have become better or worse. But they're different.
Love isn't a feeling, although it's accompanied by feelings. Love has to do with obligations (yes, it does), shared experiences, and the desire for the good of another person. The feelings change, and some of them do fade away, and that's regrettable; but the other things remain. I know that The American Way is that I should say, well, I'm not gettin' any, and the thrill is gone, so it must be time for a divorce and another try. And she'd no doubt have parallel things to say about me. But a woman who isn't capable of going out and getting a full-time job that would actually support her, and doesn't have a pension coming in (both largely because of the years she spent bearing and raising my children): is a divorce what she really needs? I don't think so; she needs a place to live, food on table, etc. She also needs and deserves respect and civility from me. She needs, and deserves, to save face. Those are my obligations, and I do and will fulfill them. She and I live like amicable roommates. We're friendly; how would we not be, having been married for two-thirds of our lives, raised children, buried parents ... you know, that whole "life" thing?
I find that I still want intimacy and sweetness with a woman (decreasingly so, as I get older, but I'm not quite done yet). My thinking is that if I seek these things outside my marriage, I'm only "depriving" my wife of something for which she manifestly has no use anyway; and as long as I don't "rub her nose in it," she's lost nothing and gained a happier version of myself at home.
So, yeah ... I'm coming to the conclusion that lifelong monogamy is probably a pretty rare ability, and not one that I have. Lifelong love? Sure; you can do that simply by deciding to. 'Cause it ain't a feeling. It's what you do.