Landing
Inevitably the honeymoon stage must end and reality sets in. The second stage of a relationship and often times the hardest to push through is the landing period. This stage is when you come off cloud nine and essentially “land” back on earth amongst the problems that every person in a relationship must face. Infatuation has faded and you been to notices issues with your significant other more clearly, little things about them that you initially found endearing, but now find annoying. Doubt and worry set in as you consider if this is really what you want.
During this stage, tensions are high and communication becomes the most important tool in every couple’s arsenal. It is important to talk through the problems that arise which allow the relationship to strengthen. Each couple must make the conscious choice to either continue loving each other through the bad times to get to the good ones or simply move on to find that next flight of infatuation. Writing takes on the form of apology letters and notes of encouragement or reassurance during this time. Passion develops into compassion and romance cools off to reality as you try to love the person for all their faults.
The texts to the left are some examples of messages written between couples as they moved through the landing stage of their relationship. A letter written by my boyfriend shows him apologizing for when he was irritable and taking it out on me. This was written during a time when we were both unsure of whether or not the relationship would last because we both had a lot of personal issues to work on. It shows his commitment to working on making himself better, so we can make us better. Another thing Wade wrote was a strip of paper promising to be with me forever. He gave this to me the summer after we first started dating when we were unsure if the relationship would last through three months of being four hours away. We had begun to fight right before we left for that summer and I know we were both worried, but during a visit to see me, he gave this to me as a pseudo-promise ring to work through whatever problems were to come. The last text is a letter to Jeff written by Lisa celebrating their 8 month anniversary. She reiterates her love for Jeff and mentions that no matter what lies ahead they can conquer their fears together.