There are many standards for measuring the "success" of a relationship. Orgasm. Holidays. Gifts. Time spent together. Songs played during car rides. Feelings.
With that in mind, marriage or being “together forever” should not be the gold standard of what we want with someone or think that if that doesn’t happen, then the relationship failed. The "purpose" of love can be simply to have a good time. It may be letting yourself feel things you have not felt in a long time, or never before. It could be getting someone you care about at your favorite restaurant and sharing parts of yourself that you never realized someone else would ever care about.
The purpose of love can be to learn about new groups and books. It could be visiting a country you would never have seen otherwise, or buying "matchy" clothing. Try something that scares you or that is uncomfortable, but know when to say "no". The goal may be simply to learn how to leave when it is over, to appreciate what you had, leaving it where it stands.
Or you can love for the sake of love in itself. Love - to be in it, to give it, to receive it, to feel it - this may be the only purpose of the relationship. As long as it lasts, in whatever quantity it comes.
"Moving in different directions does not diminish the beauty of the time when you were in the same place."
This perspective is not just to relieve pain from separations; is to help make the best choices in the present and the future. There is no price to stay in a relationship longer than you want, just because you are afraid of "failing" or do not want to face relatives during the holidays.
Sometimes relationships have expiration dates. Sometimes not.
No matter how things end, when the goal is "love for love" instead of "love forever", the end of a relationship does not mean failure. Sharing does not mean that you have lost your time or theirs, and moving in different directions does not diminish the beauty of the time when you were in the same place.
Source: Bustle
