I recently read an article on Bear Grylls – that intrepid adventurer we see from time to time on TV doing crazy stuff in the wilderness, and this really resonated with me. The article relates how he met his future wife: “Grylls was attempting a “training hike” for Everest, and with every step, the danger grew. All of the girls began to get frightened, some even to the point of tears, at the difficult terrain. All but one — a beautiful young lady by the name of Shara Cannings Knight persevered and kept her composure.
It was indeed, love at first sight. And from that moment forward, the two wild-hearted adventurers were inseparable and have been together ever since.”
Further, talking about his marriage to Shara: “The match-made-in-heaven tied the knot in 2000. Soon after, the couple went for relationship counselling — despite many of his friends thinking they were ‘nuts’ for doing so.”
I see many couples for relationship, marriage and pre-marriage counselling, and although this following analogy is simple, it is very true – we take our cars for regular servicing and don’t wait until they are broken down at the roadside before paying attention (and spending money) on them. If we did, the situation would often be irretrievable.
And so it is with our primary relationship, whether married, de facto, or partners. Preventative care is so much more rewarding (and cheaper) than the cost of a breakdown – emotionally, financially and mentally.
Did you know that we also run in depth marriage preparation sessions to start you off on a solid footing? We look at things like conflict resolution, communication, relationship roles and expectations, families of origin, blended family issues, parenting, spirituality, and much more. If you would like to get started on your relationship email me at info@letstalklife.com.au
Oh, and for those interested in more about the Bear Grylls story, this is what he said about going for relationship counselling: “We figured that if [marriage] was the most important thing we were ever going to do, we should do everything we could to stop it breaking in the first place.”
“At our wedding, we asked our guests for their best marriage advice. We got some gems of replies but the best came from a couple who had been married for 50 years. It was also the simplest: ‘Never stop holding hands.’ That’s what Shara and I have always tried to do, both physically and metaphorically.”
Recently, Grylls shared that he believes that husbands and wives should love their spouse “above everything else” – even the children.
Grylls explained, “Couples often think that the kids should always come first, but smart couples know that the best foundation for the family is their relationship. In protecting that, they can then best love their children.” Grylls added, “If you ever think the grass is greener on the other side of the hill… it’s time to start watering your own.”
And some trivia for the day – did you know he proposed to Shara while they were skinnydipping? He had hidden the ring between his butt cheeks)
Bear Grylls shares his story and his views on marriage.
Bear Grylls and his sons. Bear recognizes the importance of relationship counselling.