By Natalie Babcock | Los Angele Times
Sept. 8, 2023 5 AM PT
Last spring, after eight years of a stable partnership, my husband and I opened our marriage. In truth, I was the one to push for this change in the first place. For many, this disclosure would have been an absolute curveball. But fortunately Sam and I had been fleshing out the parameters of ethical nonmonogamy for some time, theoretically musing about the drawbacks of long-term partnership since our third date.
Years later, when we did begin concretely discussing what an open marriage would look like, we were curious about how exactly to transition from theory to practice. I didn’t foresee creating an online dating profile; rather, I was hoping to meet someone organically. This was perhaps a tall order, but I was in no rush. The beauty of our new arrangement, in my eyes, was that we had the freedom to be open to these natural, desire-based encounters.
