Arnold, Maria, Tipper and Al

Arnold and Maria. Tipper and Al.  Two high profile, long lasting marriages that ended.  Was it coincidence that both ended right after the husbands ended high power political careers?  I think not.  Was the end of those marriages caused by the stress of political life?  Maybe.  Amicable?  Not surprising.   I often think about the anthropologist Margaret Mead, who was married three times.  At one point she was asked why all of her marriages failed.  Her response was "I beg your pardon.  I have had three marriages and NONE of them was a failure."  She went on to expound that each of her marriages was successful for the stage of her life in which they occurred.  One of the results of our living longer is that our lives have more distinct stages than one, and the same mate may not meet our needs in all of them.  The stages of the lives and marriages of Arnold and Maria,Tipper and Al were more distinct and varied than most.  The changes to their lives wrought by the husbands' retirement from political office were immense and life altering.  It's not surprising that those changes affected their marriages, or that they ended them.  The manner in which these people ended their marriages is why we admire them, not the longevity of their unions.  Best of luck to them all.
5/17/11:  After Arnold Schwartzenager's public confession today and Maria Shriver's reaction thereto, I admire Ms. Shriver even more - Mr. Schwartzenager is another story.