Dear Professor,
My name is Glen. I just have something to inquire. It was not that so much pressing but I am kind of afraid that there is some truth about what my friends and the other people are saying. You see, my girlfriend and I just celebrated our 6th year anniversary. We went to a beach resort for 3 days and it was just amazing. My friends are saying that I should be careful since we are already reaching the 7th year of our relationship, they said that it's kind of the make or break mark in a relationship.
I was just wondering, is there any truth to what they are saying, or is it just a myth?
Sincerely,
Glen
Response
To Glen,
First and foremost, I would like to offer you my deepest gratitude for sending me this wonderful letter with a mind-boggling question. I would also like to send my appreciation for the Cuban cigars you sent together with this letter. At first whiff I could really discern the authenticity and the classic aroma of these smoke makers. To be wholeheartedly frank, I am lighting one up as I write my correspondence to you. I pray that you won't mind the bad scent of this letter when you get to read it.
In addition to that, let me offer you my usual congratulatory toast. Here's to you and your lady friend. More years to come hopefully. Anyway, going back to your inquiry.
Fancy to have read your letter. I was just watching Marilyn's movie the other day, The Seven Year Itch. It's quite fitting for your inquiry. So what is the seven year itch?
There is a common and popular belief that when a relationship reaches the 7 year mark, a catastrophic problem or something will try your relationship and it will either prove that you are meant to be or would cause you to part ways in a bad way. To answer your query in a short manner: No. It's not true.
At least I don't believe that it is. But why does such a phenomena exist? Actually, studies show that newlywed couples experience the rough patch of their married life during the fourth year of the marriage.
This might sound confusing but bear with me for a bit. The 7 year itch is not real in a sense that, it could be a 4 year itch, a 5 year itch or even a 2 year itch. I don't think that a single issue will be the sole reason for a break up. I believe that it is all the little things, the petty things and misunderstandings that piled up within that period. Seven years is quite a long time and it is enough to really know someone in and out especially when you are living with them intimately.
But what if you lived together some time after the beginning of your relationship? The culmination of all the things you have disagreed upon and caused a rift between you all through out may be pushed ahead from seven years to just a couple of years. It also depends on the pace of your relationship. Some people likes to take things nice and slow and some people are intense and are too quick to act upon anything.
On average, those seven years is enough to judge a person's overall personality and hence, it may be enough for both parties to make a decision whether they can accept each other fully or they would just like to call it even after all.
Red flags, or things that are unnecessarily bad will surely be observable after some time. The more comfortable you are with each other the more at ease you will be and the more you can show each other's true colors.
In another light, seven years is quite long and that is an ample of time for both individual to know where the relationship is going. Is it going to be for a really long haul or is it just that.
I guess that what I am trying to convey to you is that it's not about the year seven of your relationship, it may be where you are in your relationship. Who knows? Maybe you have already passed that 7 year itch, or maybe it's further down the road. But whatever the case is, you and your partner should talk it out from time to time just to be sure that you are in sync and are on the same page. Honest and open communication is always the key to a lasting relationship.
Actually, this also reminded me of my good friends Jenifer and Brad. I really thought that they were a match made in heaven. They almost reflected each other in a pleasant mimicry. But after 4 years of being married, they call it quits and Brad had to move on with a new flame named Angelina.
Anyhow, I am going to cut this letter short for I promised my neighbor Jim a game of chess. Oh, the reward is just something I could not pass on. I hope that I in some way gave light to the present matter of your curiosity. And I wish you good luck and more happy years to come. Marry her already son.
Yours,
Professor
Hey there!
Thank you for reading another whimsical article of mine. I just read about this 7 year thingy and I thought that it is quite a fit with this little series of mine. I hope you liked it and as usual, if you have any thoughts about this, or you would like to be part of this series, let me know on the comment section.
I appreciate you taking the time to read this and as always,
Cheers!!!
Sources:
Image 1 : https://thelonelyauthorblog.com/2016/05/16/never-enough-time-for-love/
Lead image : https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/love-time-concept-clock-gm500908967-43008298
I also heard of this 7 year myth.. I also believe seven years is long enough to be able to see through your partner and determine whether she's/he's really for keeps or nah. Maybe that's why it became popular in love topics. However, like what you said, it may be less than seven years, it depends on the people.. Long time, no letter, professor!