I was asked, "How Do I know I'm Marrying The Right Person?"

There are more factors and variables in this than I could cover in a brief answer, but here is my best test: 

Before you commit yourself for life, know how your potential partner reacts under stress. 

Some potential partners fall apart, emotionally. Many react by blaming YOU for putting them in the stressful situation.

Marriage is stressful. Married folk commonly find ourselves in stressful situations. If I know how my partner reacts under stress, it gives me an idea how they will respond when we're married.

Before we were married, my wife and I took a two-week, 1800-mile motorcycle trip to Canada. It meant each of us living for two weeks from a small nylon bag. 

In the course of that trip, we found ourselves at the top of a mountain in the uninhabited wilderness. Our choice was to go back the way we came or go forward. But, if we rode down this incredibly steep mountain on my 550 cc street motorcycle, it would be impossible to go back.

We each got to see each other under stress.

After smoking a cigarette or two, I asked her to hold onto me tight so that I could compensate for our combined weight... and down we flew!

It all turned out fine, in the end but, we each learned how the other reacted under pressure. That would, someday, get us through pregnancy, parenthood, unemployment, home ownership, health challenges, and every sort of financial difficulty.

In 2023, we'll celebrate 39 years of marriage.

Know how your potential partner reacts to stressful situations.