Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for April 11, 2023

Just for the record, Rat also has a soft side:

https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2018/01/21

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So it takes 45 years for the fighting to stop?

Every day a struggle, every year a joy…

Just sweet enough.

Panel #2: me and my ex-wife at year three. The last together.

I’ve never liked the odds, and I’m not a gambling man, so I’ve avoided it all.

It apparently works for some. I figure if, after 20 years, they’d both freely do it again, that’s a successful marriage. My parents made it to 63 years. My brother, the cynic, declared their marriage to be a triumph – the triumph of habit over hatred.

Rat being rat, he could drink his coffee unsweetened and it would be too sweet.

I’ve never had someone special in my life but I sometimes wonder how it would be if i had one.

Fifty years of marriage must be when you forget more of the bad times than you remember.

You got that right. I’m in year 47.

My parents were married for 63 years, and together a total of 65 years. Their relationship started because my Dad decided to drive 6 hours, every other weekend, to take my Mom on dates. That is a lot of devotion, time, and effort, especially so in the early 1950’s.

Sadie and I’ve been married for 53 years.

I’m here to say the first 53 are the hardest . . .

yet,

I’ve grown accustomed to her face . . . ;-)

Well, we’re going on 49, so there’s a chance. {^¿^}

I glad they hung in there long enough to reach that point!

The secret to a long marriage is complacency. Notice I said long, not necessarily happy.

We are at 35 and I’ve been wondering how I deserve her since the day we married.Three things I have tried to remember to say every day.That I appreciate herThat she’s beautifulThat I love her

Sure, we’ve had our moments, but those have been few and far between.All in all, I am grateful to have had her to spend my life with

we almost made 50……….

I’ve known my husband for almost 16 years. Married for almost 8. We’ve never had a fight like that. There’s no reason for it. According to most people, “there’s something wrong with us” and we’re “not normal.” Of course, the people saying these things are miserable and projecting their misery onto others… which seems to be par for the course with society these days. “I’m miserable, so everyone else must be, too.”

As long as it’s married bliss, and not married blitz!

This is very sweet. Is Stephan okay?

This is year 40 for us. We haven’t had a single bad year. My sister attributes it to several things.1. No matter what we might argue about, neither one of has ever called the other one a name other than a stubborn goat. (that would be me)2. We’re both pretty easy going. We don’t let things get to us.3. We learned a long time ago that we cannot do house projects together. If it’s a big project, I hire people.4. We each have out own ‘thing’ and don’t begrudge the other for spending time doing it. He has his rodeos and horse events. I have my books and my sewing. I foster kittens but if I’m sick or something and can’t take care of them, he does it.5.One of the things that will break up a couple when first married is arguing about money. We didn’t have any to argue about.

I made a vow to never argue with my wife, although I was willing to dicker.

I’ve been married 53 years and don’t regret one day of it. The one day I don’t regret was March 10, 1990.

This is why I don’t do marriage. I’m a free spirit and I don’t need no ball and chain dragging me down.

Looking into the past, I believe those folks who have put the effort into knowing themselves at different stages in their lives make the happier spouses. Those who spent the effort in self awareness didn’t need to seek out partners who specialized in pointing out their partner’s shortcomings.

My parents recently hit the big 3-0. I’m eternally thankful for them.

This shows good things come to those who wait.

Too much hair on both of them in marriage year 50.

I’m at year 45 and this is pretty accurate.

My tongue-in-cheek advice to younger couples is: it took 45 years for us to work out all our minor problems, now we’re working on the big ones! : o) We’ll hit 50 this June, with no end in sight. And after all these years I still can’t figure out why she chooses to stay with me. It also helps that we share our faith in God, that’s gotten us through a lot of tough times together.

I never met anyone that I hated enough to want to ruin the rest of their life.

so I’ve never married.

We’re just one year away from 50, we live panel 4, and never had panel 2

Be thankful for what you have. I lost my best friend in November. After 38 years of ups and downs and all the in between. My best advice to newlyweds is to never go to bed angry and once an argument is over, never bring it up again.

it’s called committed for a reason

It’s been almost 45 years for us, all of them great. I am a very lucky man.

I married twice. Both of my ex’s got to be so mean, jealous and obnoxious that they drove me so crazy that I gave up. Been divorced since 1983. I’m insane enough without the aggravation.

My parents got along better the older they got.

Bad habit over hatred. Going on 50 years.

Marriage is what a person is willing to overlook the others misgivings!

Celebrating 30 years this June. We’ve been through a lot.

My parents marriage lasted only 10 years

Thanks Steph.

We got married so that her pregnancy would be covered under my medical plan. Seems to have worked. My son and his lady are now contemplating the same.

I don’t think it’s the longevity of a marriage that makes it a happy one, so much as the maturity of the individuals in the relationship – and I’m not necessarily talking about their age.

I married my current wife 10 years ago when I was in my late 60s and she was in her mid-50s. Both of us had been married previously, raised our kids, and were grandparents.

All those previous years of joys, sorrows, worries, and strife enabled us to bring to our relationship a different perspective based on experience and maturity that would have been lacking had we met and fallen in love when we were younger.

The sheer pleasure in appreciating and loving all the little things in our lives, along with the patience, wisdom, and sense of humor we’d developed over the years, has made these past ten years the most enjoyable and memorable of my entire life. I look forward to many, many more years of happily married life with this truly remarkable woman.

And the Gold Star of the Day goes to………Mr Pastis! Good one sir!

We have been married for 51 years and I can assure you that is not the way it is.

This comic is very true. Marriage has it’s ups and downs and takes work. 42 years now for us and we are much closer than we have ever been.

Married now for 44 years. It has its ups and downs, but mainly ups. It’s about commitment and giving. If you can’t do it, don’t. She is my love and my life and we love being together. Half of me will die if she passes away. But she’ll be there in the house and wherever I go.

1/2 way there at 25; and I’d gladly do it all over again.

Amazing that the couple haven’t aged a bit after 45years lol.

My husband and I have been together for 24 years and married for six of them. This might not seem like very long to some, but we are a same-sex couple (both dudes), and it seems like finding a gay guy who wants commitment is almost impossible, finding two is even rarer, especially considering we were both in our 20’s when we met. We have never gone through the fighting phase though, we have always gotten along.

Meanwhile I’ve watched both my brothers go through three marriages each, one of those brothers went through many long-term girlfriends on top of the three marriages, and my sister didn’t settle down with somebody until she was 43 years old – and tragically, he died last summer at the age of 46.

My point? I don’t really know, except that it always amazes me that in my family I’m the stable one. Growing up as a deeply closeted gay teenager I never would have thought that what I have now was possible. I didn’t think guys could be in long term relationships with guys, and marriage wasn’t even an option.

And now I’m the stable one.

Pretty much! My parents used to fight A LOT. Now that they’re older and in higher-paying jobs, they now they’re SO nice! Lord, they’re lovy-dovy!

Hit 50 last year. We’ve always ascribed it to inertia.

marage year:0 thump thump thump!

My parents were married for over 60 years until mom died. When they retired, they bought an RV and traveled. Dad said at the time that spending so much time together in a small space would show if the marriage was a mistake or not. Turned out great!

We apparently got to year 50 a few decades ahead of schedule :-)

Just celebrated number 34. We’re very different people, so the struggle is real. However, at the end of the day we love each other and celebrate the things we both love together.

We are at 43 now, the 1st 10 years were brutal, the last 10 have been great. Looking forward to 20 more great years…at least.

My wife and I celebrated thirty years on April 3rd. It still amazes me that she has put up with me for all these years. I am looking forward to another thirty years.

Missing largerussb53 less than a minute agoTRVTH! My wife and I have been married for 50 years. I would do anything for her, for instance, while she was ill with Covid for most of the winter, I would, clean house, do laundry, get groceries, and fix the meals. When we had been married 5 years, it was all she could do to get to change a diaper.

Pig’s heart is in the right place, but I’m not so sure that his optimism is justified….

We’re coming up on our 50th this year. I can’t believe I’m this lucky.

My parents argued about which was less deserving of the other — vying for the position of the undeserving one, that is. They didn’t say “I love you” all that much, but it would have been silly to do so when they made it obvious in many other ways.

They amazingly are wearing the same clothes and have about the same amount/color of hair.

Many men have it hard for a number of years. Then it goes limp.

Not everyone is cut out for marriage, especially long marriages. Learning to be content with oneself should come first; a partner or spouse is just icing on the cake…assuming the partner/spouse is also content with themselves to begin with.