That's an interesting sentence, when you think about it. When you first read it, you might think it means the sexual intimacy that a couple share. But, the way I see it, there's much more to it than that. I've been married twice and have only experienced this in my first marriage. I don't think not having this intimacy hurt my second marriage in and of itself. But the lack of intimacy certainly didn't help anything.
Being intimate with your spouse is more than just making love. It's the sharing of yourself with your spouse that makes your marriage intimate. And by sharing, I mean sharing everything.... hopes, dreams, thoughts, friends, stories, pasts, childhoods, fears, doubts, pet peeves ... everything. I don't mean to say that you have to have everything in common or you have to do everything together, but being able to share your experiences with your spouse can be a very intimate experience.
My second husband lived by the philosophy that it's better to lie about small things than to be perfectly honest all the time. He also didn't believe in talking about his past, and therefore, didn't care if he never heard mine. I don't know what kind of a kid he was or if he had any fun when he was growing up, because he didn't share that part of himself with me. Oh, if I asked him specific questions, he would answer them - mostly truthfully. But he didn't volunteer any information about himself with me. I had to pry it out of him. Not very intimate.
So when I think about these couples that have had long marriages, I think they must have a good intimacy within their marriage. Because, having lived with someone who didn't know how to be intimate, I realized that it is an important part of a good marriage and if it's missing, the marriage will probably not end well - but it will definitely end.
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