Seems to me there are two ends of a continuum when it comes to committed relationships. On one end, the honeymoon and power-struggle years wear off and you plough on, fending off the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune as life (mostly), happens to you. The marriage vows, which too often someone else (or the Bible) wrote for you, gather dust or lie forgotten, whether you've inadvertently stuck to them or not. A delightfully crotchety widowed older friend of mine once told me all relationships were a trade-off or contract, implicitly or explicitly. It sounded cynical at first, but this story marks the other end of the aforementioned continuum, pragmatically demonstrated by an expert in her field. On her end of this continuum, she and her partner consciously and early on in their relationship agreed on some core rules they'd live by. It enlivened their relationship and made them more purposeful in going for their dreams and ambitions. And it embraced tough love. Real support is not always pretty, but we recognise it afterwards. A contract enables and allows the power of one in partnership. This is more than just news, it's fuel for a more conscious, richer life. – Chris Bateman

The key to bliss for a dual-career couple? A contract

By Jennifer Petriglieri

(The Wall Street Journal) – I climbed on the back of the old Vespa with a mix of terror and thrill. It was my first time on anything with two wheels and a motor. But it was New Year's Day, I had a new boyfriend, and I was in for the ride. The engine spluttered and we were off. As we wove round potholes, I clutched the waist of the man I had traveled to Sicily to see. The Vespa was much faster than I had expected, yet I felt both safe and unstable. It was like our relationship that way.

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