Monday Musings - On Lasting Love

There is a fascination, at the moment, with marriages that have endured the test of time; with commitments that have spanned decades and overcome obstacles and come out stronger and wiser on the other side of a vow that is, today, so often taken too lightly.

We live in an era of instant gratification in a world where scandals are just a Tweet away and freshly-recorded music from the next big star can be downloaded from YouTube minutes after it is created and political upsets are live-blogged from the campaign trail.  We demand satisfaction quickly - we want fulfillment and we want it now.

It's lovely, therefore, to be reminded that some things get better with time.  I don't know if I believe in love at first sight but I do believe that love can be all the better for evolving as a slow burn over the years, and because of that I look to couples who have been through all that comes with a half-century of marriage for inspiration, for hope, and for guidance.

If you haven't heard Danny and Annie Perasa's romance on StoryCorps, please listen to it here.  It will touch you wherever you are in life and will illuminate that the best of love can be found in the most mundane of places and the most monumental of decisions.

This Valentine's Day, who inspires you to commit to love?

both images via Lauren Fleischman's Love Ever After project