Putting Love to the Stress Test (nytimes.com)

This is disturbing and beautiful. My current Fiance and I followed a very similar pattern. All of my prior relationships would start out with all the "good" things. Chemistry, curiosity, etc. etc. but all eventually failed due to fundamental compatibility. It was never "I can't believe you, I'm walking out on you, drama drama" It was more I want A with my life and you want B. Full stop.

This one, we knew each other for a long time, so instead of doing all the fancy stuff, we just downloaded a spreadsheet with X questions to ask before getting married, blind answered and then merged them. The disturbing similarities between them gave us confidence. And then we built the passion, chemistry, curiosity on purpose. And it worked. Marriage used to be about utility. We no longer need it for survival, but it should definitely be practical.

Of course, you also have to keep in consideration that people change, as do their priorities, environments, circumstances and dreams.

> And we married 12 months later.

Nobody's perfect, I' guess.