When you’re with the right person, growing old together is the dream. Nothing beats welcoming your golden years with your best friend who still looks at you the same way as when you first met.
To grow old together means to experience life’s trials and tribulations side by side, helping each other push through, never wanting to leave their side.
It means learning from your partner and evolving as a couple and individually. When you’re able to forge such a strong, healthy relationship that has stood the test of time, you know you’ve made it in life.
And even though you’re probably well aware of how incredibly lucky you are, it never hurts to be reminded, right?
So today, I’d love to focus my attention on all the brilliant things that come with growing old with the love of your life.
Whether you’re one of those lucky married couples whose love only grew stronger with old age or you’re hoping to be able to experience such a thing, this is for you.
True love doesn’t know age. Love each other the same during the honeymoon period and after many years of marriage.
If you and your loved one are truly meant to be, this is what you can look forward to as you enter new seasons of life together.
The Most Beautiful Things About Growing Old Together
Experiencing an amazing transformation with the love of your life
From loved-up youngsters who were still trying to figure out their place in the world to a healthy, happy couple who have found it all in each other, you’ve experienced the most amazing transformation with the love of your life by your side.
It’s almost like your life flashed before your eyes and you didn’t even notice as you were so immersed in your bubble of happiness.
You enjoy each other’s undivided attention
If they need you, you’re there, no questions asked. Nobody deserves your attention more than them. There aren’t a million errands to run or people to please anymore.
It’s just the two of you enjoying each other’s company to the fullest. You wouldn’t dream of putting their needs second.
See also: How To Explain Love (Because It’s More Than Just A Feeling)
You spend your time doing only the things you LOVE doing
When you finally get to retire, you get to go back to doing the things that make you happy! And as a result, it makes you so much happier as a couple.
You both get to finally do the stuff that you love and not worry about anything or anyone else. This is your time to shine and you’re making the most of it.
You get to enjoy (and spoil) your grandchildren
Grandchildren. They’re one of the best parts of growing old together. You spend just enough time with them to please your heart, then you return them to their parents and unwind. Kind of the best deal out there.
The ability to give invaluable relationship advice to youngsters
After many years of marriage, you’re qualified to give out some amazing relationship advice. To grow old means to have garnered enough life experience to help those around you.
Your children (and at some point, even your grandchildren) will get to enjoy first-hand invaluable advice from someone who’s lived to tell the tale.
You get that life isn’t a social media account (there’s no deleting and starting over)
When you get to a certain age, you learn to appreciate each other for all your flaws and shortcomings. Something that would have made you want to break up years ago makes you work that much harder today.
There are no do-overs in life. You work best with what life gives you and you make the most of it. Whatever happens, it’s you and them against the world.
You know each other inside out (which is so comforting)
You know what makes them tick and what will cheer them up instantly. You know what they’re thinking without them needing to say a word.
You know how they feel about a person just by looking at them. And it feels so good. Most of the time, you don’t even need to utter a word, you just know. Isn’t that so comforting?
See also: 25 Fun Facts About Love That Will Put A Smile On Your Face
Experiencing the ups and downs of old age side by side
You’re each other’s caregiver. If one of you gets ill, the other one is your personal medic. Whatever they need, you’re there and the best thing? You live it all together.
Growing old and getting ill is no fun but at least you’re in the best possible company. How can you be sad when you know this person would do anything to make you feel better?
You fully enjoy sitting in companionable silence
One of my favorite things about relationships is being able to comfortably sit in silence with each other. And it’s not awkward or weird. It’s just soothing.
This is something you’ll learn after many, many years together. There is no need to fill every silence with meaningless words. Sitting in companionable silence is just as pleasant as having a riveting conversation.
You can go see the world without anything holding you back
You can go backpacking through the United States or take a month-long vacation somewhere in the Alps. The world is yours for the taking.
You don’t have to worry about taking time off from work, errands getting in your way or being away from your kids. It’s finally just the two of you! And you can go wherever you want, whenever you want.
You no longer sweat the small stuff
The little things that used to irk you and caused fights no longer hold any power over you. Over time, you’ve learned what’s important and what isn’t. And life is so much better that way.
When you get to a place where you know what to let go of and what to dedicate time to, you’ve learned what true joy is.
You openly and honestly communicate about your wants and needs
You don’t expect your partner to read your mind; that’s so childish. If you want something, you say it outright. If you’re upset over something they did, you discuss it.
There is simply no time to drag things out. Life is way too short to beat around the bush. Growing old together means mastering the art of healthy communication.
See also: 25 Different Types Of Couples And Their Characteristics
Watching your favorite quiz show over cocoa is your ideal night
Personally, this kind of sounds like a jackpot night to me too (and I still consider myself youngish).
Joking aside, having a comfy night in over hot cocoa (or any beverage you like) and watching Jeopardy with your best friend by your side is all you could ever hope for.
The simple things kind of mean the world.
You finally learn to enjoy life to the fullest
When you were younger, you were always stressed about work, obligations, people’s expectations of you and a million things in-between. And that prevented you from living life the way you know you should have.
Today, you’re not phased by any of it. If only someone had told you then how irrelevant all those things are in the grand scheme of things.
It’s all about living your happiness with the one who adds to it. Everything else is white noise.
You fight fairly (and rarely)
On the rare occasion that you do fight, it’s always more than fair. There are no cheap shots or screaming matches. You talk like the mature adults you are and always aim to find the middle ground.
Growing old together has helped you realize that a healthy relationship cannot survive if both people keep fighting each other instead of fighting the problem.
And after every quarrel, you make sure to say I love you (and mean it).
You make sure to spend your golden years in happiness and solidarity with the one you’re ‘stuck’ with for life (and you wouldn’t have it any other way).
You prioritize each other over anyone else
Nobody else could take the top spot in your heart anymore. Everything you’ve been through together, the good and bad, has bonded you for life.
You love all your loved ones with all your heart but nobody gets you the way your partner does. And for that reason, there is nothing you wouldn’t do for them and vice versa.
See also: 9 Core Relationship Values Every Couple Should Have
You feel young at heart when you’re together
When you look at him, you don’t see an old man (and vice versa). You see the person you fell head over heels with who still makes you giggle every single day. And that makes you feel young again.
You don’t care what anyone else sees. All that matters is that whenever you look at your best friend, you feel like the vibrant, happy-go-lucky person you were at the start of your love story.
The reassurance of knowing you’ve chosen the right person
When you say I love you to each other, it holds as much value as it did when you said it for the first time all those years ago.
The thing is, when you look at your partner, you see the only person you’d ever want to share life with. And it makes you so happy that life blessed you in such a special way.
If today was your last day on Earth, you’d know that you did it right, with your one true love along for the ride. Zero regrets.
See also: The 9 Relationship Stages That All Couples Go Through
Heart-Touching Growing Old Together Quotes
Here are some of my favorite quotes about the joy of sharing forever with the love of your life. Enjoy them today every bit as much as you would have way back when.
1. “Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, The last of life, for which the first was made: Our times are in his Hand Who saith, ‘A whole I planned, Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!”―Robert Browning
2. “Go directly to Nirvana. Don’t pass go – or you’ll have kids, you’ll grow old together, you’ll be born into another realm where you’ll forget that there was even nirvana.”―Frederick Lenz
3. “Let’s grow old and die together. Let’s do it now.”―Ani DiFranco
4. “I hope we’ll get lucky enough to grow old together.”―Paula McLain
5. “And it feels good to feel young with you, and at the same time to grow old with you. And it’s all those things together at the same moment.”―Dave Isay
6. “’With a telescope, some munchies, and a warm blanket, watch for Halley’s comet.’ Yeah. I like that. There’s no time limit. Just sit there and grow old together.”―David Cross
7. “We were supposed to grow old together,… Have kids. Take walks under old trees. I wanted to watch the lines etch themselves into your flesh and know when each and every one of them appeared. Die together.”―Dennis Lehane
8. “The mere process of growing old together will make the slightest acquaintance seem a bosom friend.”―Logan Pearsall Smith
9. “Some lovers were fortunate enough to grow old together. They’d grown old apart. She did not think him any less handsome. She only wished that she’d been there when the first line on his face had appeared, so that she could have stroked and kissed and cherished it.”―Sherry Thomas
10. “Sometimes, just sometimes, when people say ‘forever’, they mean it.”―Unknown
11. “When couples stay together they will learn what the other’s personality and thought processes are, and eventually could finish each other’s sentences due to their familiarity with each other.”―Betty Thomas & D. Lloyd Thomas
12. “Growing old with someone else is beautiful, but growing old while being true to yourself is divine.”―Dodinsky
13. “Each moment of a happy lover’s hour is worth an age of dull and common life.”―Aphra Behn
14. “I believe that two people are connected at the heart, and it doesn’t matter what you do, or who you are or where you live; there are no boundaries or barriers if two people are destined to be together.”―Julia Roberts
15. “Maybe you don’t need the whole world to love you. Maybe you just need one person.”―Jason Segel & Nicholas Stoller
16. “When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”―Nora Ephron
17. “In all the world, there is no heart for me like yours. In all the world, there is no love for you like mine.”―Maya Angelou
18. “I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone.”―Philippa Boyens
19. “Soul mate: two little words, one big concept. A belief that someone, somewhere, is holding the key to your heart…”―Michael Patrick King
20. “The compatibility of a couple and the quality of a relationship lies in the way they handle their arguments and differences.”―Nishan Panwar
21. “It’s a wonderful thing, as time goes by, to be with someone who looks into your face, when you’ve gotten old, and still sees what you think you look like.”―Steve Cohen
See also: Marriage Goals: 15 Main Things All Married Couples Should Focus On
All Things Considered…
Growing old together requires a high level of commitment and two people who genuinely love each other’s company.
You’re not just a couple. You’re partners in life, lovers and best friends. And when you look at them, you just know that there is no one else out there for you.
Once you’re with the right person, these 18 amazing benefits are what you can look forward to; making the most of every single day with the one who makes it all worthwhile.
The ups and downs and the trials and tribulations have got nothing on you, as long as you’ve got your best friend along for the ride.
See also: 150 Different Ways To Say I Love You In A Deeply Romantic Manner