Love in all its disparities

Here are the opposite ends of the spectrum:

She calls me and she's crying. He's breaking her heart and he won't stop hurting her with words. Don't you ever believe that words would hurt less than a slap. It's so easy to find the right words to hurt someone with. She says 'He says he never loved me. He never loved me this entire time.'
The ache of it vibrates right through the phone. You don't have the heart right now to tell her to tear it off. She can't hear you through her wall of pain. And as her friend, you do what you have to do. You stand there and you listen to it. If he knew how much damage he was causing to her, would he stop and reconsider?

--

Betty and MK got married on Friday in the Hunter Valley. And I was fortunate enough to be there to witness it [well most of it.]. They just radiated love and tenderness. How many couples do you know that radiate love and tenderness? At one point, she retold an anecdote which she had mentioned to me before. What is the secret to a long and successful marriage?

"Do everything together. Go to the supermarket together. Do ordinary everyday things together. When you go for a walk, go with each other. And when you go out separately, make sure that you come home together. It's all about being and wanting to be with the other person. And that's the secret to a long and successful marriage."

I think that she might be right.

--

"I'd rather have nothing then settle for second-best. I just wouldn't want to be with someone I didn't feel passionate about"

"Well I'd rather settle than have nothing."

I wonder where Coconat and I will be in five years. The incurable romantic and the hopelessly practical. What are the chances that she and I will have switched attitudes?