This week, another celebrity couple, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, announced their parting of the ways, after a 10-year marriage. According to the latest national data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), the likelihood that a couple will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary today isn't much greater than a coin toss. Sadly, Ben and Jennifer will contribute to those statistics, as it appears that “tails, you lose” is the outcome of their coin toss.
I have to ask: Are Ben and Jennifer really ready to let happiness go? Have they exhausted all the possibilities of reassessing their priorities and improving their communication in order to find equality and balance in their marriage?
Perhaps a quote from Russian writer Maxim Gorky (1868-1936), says it all, “Happiness always looks small while you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and you learn at once how big and precious it is.”
I hope Ben and Jennifer understand the magnitude of their decision. I hope they don’t look back one day and lament, “We once held happiness in the palms of our hands, and we let it go." Despite their counseling and trial separation along the way, it seems Ben and Jennifer just couldn’t find a way to hold on to the happiness they once shared.
Best of luck, you two!