A lot of people invest a great deal of time looking for “the one.” You want someone who not only has the same values and ideals as you do, but someone that you can stand being around for the rest of your life. That means that your dish-washing preferences, dirty sock habits, and other daily idiosyncrasies must align. Or in the very least, they must not make the other person want to scream after ten minutes.
But once you have found that person that you want to be with until death do you part, it doesn’t take long before many of the visions of romance that you previously had go right out the window. They are swiftly replaced with the reality of long-term relationships–whether you decide to marry or not.
The real life that happens when a couple is together for a long time isn’t necessarily bad. In fact, it’s wonderful in so many ways because you’re so comfortable with each other and don’t need to put on any airs in an effort to impress. In theory, your partner for life knows about all of your quirks and will happily sit by as you act on them.
Here are some things that you probably never dreamed would become your life, but that are firmly a part of your every day now that you have found “the one.”
5. Netflix and chill
Or Hulu and chill. Or Amazon Prime and chill. You get the idea. Now, most nights consist of one of you bouncing from one streaming service to another, trying to find a movie you both haven’t seen or a new show to binge on. The majority of the evening is spent vetoing possible options until you both finally agree on a program. One queues up while the other gets snacks. Feet go up, lights go down, and you experience the same routine that you will experience practically every night until you shuffle off your mortal coil to watch Netflix in the sky.
4. Costco trips are the highlight of the week
Buying in bulk has never seemed so thrilling. And the prospect of saving money, and of not running out of staples for months on end is unbelievably convenient. But beyond these basics, trips to Costco become a serious bonding time. You take turns grabbing samples for each other and picking outrageous items to put in the cart.
3. Saturday nights are for staying in
Let’s face it: life, as you get older, is exhausting. Working full-time, managing finances, health, and hobbies means that you’re wiped out by the end of the week. Single people often feel compelled to go out on a Saturday night. It’s a time to meet other people, to enjoy life before kids, to explore. But when you’ve found your person, it’s wonderfully comforting to know that you no longer need to do any of those things. You want to wear sweatpants and pass out before 9 p.m.? Done. And no one will judge you for it.
2. You have a built-in movie date
So you love to see superhero movies and your favorite person can’t get enough of romantic comedies? Here’s where compromise comes into play and you each give a little and take a little. No matter what, you never need to hope that a friend will come with you to see a new flick. And you don’t need to worry that your date might think less of you if you pick the wrong movie. Even if they hate it, your partner will sit through it with you because they know you’ll do the same for them next time.
1. When you want to spice things up, you talk home renovations
Life has a way of getting boring every so often. So what do people in long-term relationships do to make things exciting again? Renovation! Redoing a floor, installing built-in shelves, replacing a major appliance, or buying new light fixtures: this is the spice of life.
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