You might have heard about couples with separate bedrooms. This married pair in Virginia goes that one big step further with separate houses. As Lisa Stoessel explains in Women's Health, it was the only way she could think of to save her marriage of 31 years—and it worked. When she and her husband shared a home together, they bickered constantly. He's an introvert who doesn't like to entertain and doesn't mind clutter, and she's the opposite. They'd go to counseling, and things would get better for a while before turning "toxic" again. After one nasty fight, Stoessel drove around entertaining the idea of moving, but she still wanted her husband in her life. That's when the idea of the great compromise came to mind, and the couple with three grown kids has lived five miles apart for eight years now.
Despite the distance, "our marriage has never been closer," says Stoessel. "We see each other six days a week, and have overnights four times a week. Most of the time, he comes to my house and I make dinner—we sit in front of the fire or share a meal by candlelight and chat about our day, the kids, the news, everything that couples talk about when they've been married for years." But what's better is that they don't take this time together for granted: "There a sense of preciousness" to it. They also remain monogamous. "Sometimes," concludes Stoessel, "the best way to live happily ever after with someone is to live apart." Click for the full piece. (More marriage stories.)
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