Start worrying about the "stay-cute."

It is to hold the same hand as it changes from smooth and nervous to wrinkled and steady.

The romantic storyline of an 80-year relationship doesn't have a villain who steals the bride, nor a dramatic amnesia arc. The conflict is much quieter—and much more brutal.

It is easy to be in love when you are hiking mountains and eating oysters. It is heroic to be in love when you are changing a bedsheet at 3:00 AM because of an accident. Hollywood, I have a pitch for you. Stop rebooting the superhero franchise. Give me the 80-year mature romance.

The Maturity Factor: Beyond the Butterfly In literary terms, we call this "character development." But in real life, we call it "growing up together."

The Last First Dance: Why 80-Year Matures Relationships Are the Ultimate Romantic Storyline

Here is the secret that 80-year-olds know and 20-year-olds fear: The caregiving phase is the most romantic phase of all.

You don't love someone for eighty years despite the fact that it will end. You love them for eighty years because it will end. The fragility of the human lifespan is what makes the marathon worthwhile.