Marriages That Last

I read this quote from the late actress, Judy Garland who sang " Somewhere Over The Rainbow" in the Wizard of Oz. The quote said, " Always be a first-rate version of yourself instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." In our relationships and marriages we have to be ourselves. We have to be honest with ourselves. We need to be our best selves for our marriages. We should bring out the best in each other.

My mother-in-law once told my husband she felt like he and I "balanced each other out." I think that's exactly what we're supposed to do. I would never want  to have to pretend to be something I'm not.  How tiring would that be? When we do this we tend to compare ourselves to other people and we seem to almost always compare our weakness with the other persons best qualties.

That's why we have to be ourselves and just do the best we can. And you know when you're doing your best or at least I do. When I'm not, then I have to take a step back and say to myself, "Ok what do I need to do to get myself back on track and how is this affecting my spouse and my marriage?"

For your marriage and for your spouse you should always be a first-rate version of yourselves. That doesn't mean you're perfect and it doesn't mean there are no mistakes but it does mean you are being your best for you and your spouse.