It seems obvious but I had never thought of it quite this way, that as a couple ages together it needs the presence of other couples and community members to re-vitalize its own dialogue. Otherwise there is an entropic tendency to fall ever so gradually into a stagnant kind of silence. Not all silences of course are stagnant silences. We need some silence and need not feel compelled to fill it especially in the presence of friends and those whom we trust. But frequent interactions beyond our most significant relationships remind us of all we have in common with our loved ones and of the rich variety of all we've experienced over the years. What we've said to and heard from other friends and aquaintances gives us more to say to each other. Partaking of the community around us keeps us alive! It liberates us from the tyranny of the over-familiar in our most primary relationships.
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