I reckon it’s time we gave the marriage contract a bit of an overhaul. I mean, it’s fine as a sort of base template. But traditional wedding vows got drawn up a long time ago. ‘‘Til death do us part’ was fine, really, when average life expectancy was 34. But by the time you’ve reached 60, let’s face it, you definitely will have heard all your partner’s funniest anecdotes. Many times. I think maybe we should go with ‘In sickness and in health… For the next seven years or so, after which the contract will expire but with an option to renew’.
Don’t get me wrong, I am a romantic at heart, and I do believe in happily ever afters. But I also think everybody should feel at liberty to leave if they’re miserable. Marriage —a sacred bond, lashing you together for the rest of your wretched, curtailed lifespan, was a good idea when, frankly, you only stood a chance of surviving if you teamed up. As you sat in the mud, near your dark, cold little dwelling, gnawing on a gritty wurzel and wondering what it was all for, then sure. You needed a partner. Of course, things are increasingly returning to that these days, and you hear about couples who stay together after they’ve split because financially, they can’t afford to separate. Grim. But, for many of us, we do have some autonomy.