it's never a fairytale. And that's okay.
Have you every noticed that we grow up being bombarded with the message that "marriage is hard", but few people ever bother to stop and explain what that actually means? We do ourselves, our partners, our friends, and our society a tremendous disservice by not talking about what it actually means to navigate romantic relationships in good times and in bad. How many sleepless nights would be avoided if we knew how normal it is to have doubts, to have struggles of faith and confidence, and to hurt each other? Here you will find stories from women and men who have seen some sh*t and told the tales:
http://modernloss.com/a-miscarriage-saved-my-marriage/
https://www.buzzfeed.com/ashleyford/my-boyfriend-came-out-to-me-after-we-dated-for-six-years
https://catapult.co/stories/writing-about-marriage-when-you-want-to-stay-married
http://the-toast.net/2016/04/20/on-money-anxiety-and-marriage/
https://www.thecut.com/2016/02/predicted-my-own-divorce-now-staying-single.html
http://evanleahquinn.com/there-will-be-no-divorce/
https://medium.com/thelist/yesallwomen-and-yes-me-bf281c085b7b
https://jezebel.com/how-to-talk-about-divorce-in-your-twenties-1662641274