Stop Waiting for Your Spouse to Die to Be Happy
Examining the Flawed Daydream of Unhappily Married People Everywhere
Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt stuck in an unhappy marriage.
Since this is an internet article, I can’t actually see how many hands are in the air, but I’m willing to bet it’s a bunch of them.
Now for a more cringe-worthy call: raise your hand if you’ve ever daydreamed about your significant other dying, thus releasing you from your unhappy marriage.
I’m willing to bet there are fewer hands up now, but a bunch of you sitting there with your hands down are damn liars.
The truth is that so many people who feel stuck in unhappy and unhealthy marriages occasionally daydream about their spouse suddenly dying. It feels like a gross thing to examine because admitting to such a thing probably means we are terrible people, right?
Well, I’m here to tell you aren’t a terrible person (or if you are, it’s not because of this particular situation).
Let’s break down the Spouse Death daydream so you can understand where it comes from, why it doesn’t mean you’re a heartless sociopath, and — maybe most importantly — why it is an inherently flawed “wish”.
