My wife and I are coming up on a significant anniversary, the kind with an “0” at the end that you don’t want to forget. We have each been previously divorced, so we both know firsthand the painful consequences of not staying on top of what’s going on in your marriage.

As it got closer to this anniversary, I cautiously approached my wife with what seemed to me like a radical idea. I suggested that we renegotiate the terms of our marriage, and that we continue to do so every five years from now on.

I was concerned that she would hear this as an attempt on my part to either leave the marriage or to negotiate terms that were more to my liking. Fortunately, she immediately understood that my suggestion was not made in the interests of finding a way out, but rather as a way to help us stay connected and happily married.

It’s not uncommon for people to renew their vows on a significant anniversary, but that implies that the vows will remain unchanged and........

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