We have a TV drama in Australia that depicts many of its characters moving from  crisis to crisis, while moving with equal speed from bed to bed. Confessions of undying love are followed quickly by conflicting feelings that are soon acted on to repeat the destructive cycle of the "relationship merry-go-round"

But the real tragedies are being played out in real lives, in real homes across Australia ........and beyond.

The euphoric feelings that accompany fresh love are exciting and highly desirable. I would certainly rather live with them than without.

So how do we keep those delicious feelings of romantic love alive while avoiding another spin on the "Relationship Merry-Go-Round" as played out on our TV screens?

• Know that when difficulty overshadows your love match, that those storm clouds eventually pass. Difficulties are not signs that the relationship is over, but are opportunities for growth together.
• Life is not a TV drama! Not the content. Not the format. And not the timeframe!
• Realize the need to continually upskill your relationship and communication skills.
• Real love engages and inspires emotions, but is not defined by or restricted to them. Real love is more defined by serving and giving, than simply a means to having ones' own desires met.
• The heady highs of fresh romantic love can be kept alive throughout life, by deliberate, positive investment into your relationship.
• Don't underestimate the potential unseen trauma that is carried into successive relationships, when un-joining from love relationships.

Are TV dramas guilty of shaping our beliefs and expectations of relationships or are they a condensed commentary on real life experiences? I'm going to say both are true, but the choice is always ours, as to what we believe and how our life and relationships play out.

Steve Bolt
Ebthusiastic Marriage.