In Lucy Torres-Gomez's 12 years of marriage, living apart from her husband Richard Gomez never crossed her mind. "There was no challenge so great that either one of us even entertained the idea of a life apart from each other," she tells Good Housekeeping in its September issue. "As far as I'm concerned, there just is no plan B. Not making our marriage work just is not an option."

Lucy is the perfect cover girl for Good Housekeeping's Marriage Special as she gives a realistic view of marriage. "A good marriage does not just happen," she says. "I think Richard and I are on the same page in that we inherently know that for our relationship to flourish and be rock solid, as a couple, we have to invest a lot of ourselves into it."

So how do you make a marriage work?

"We don't have hard-set rules," says Lucy. "At the most, there are guidelines that sort of just surfaced through the years, as we danced to this lovely music called marriage."

Out of her experience, Lucy shares nuggets of wisdom that can help you achieve marital bliss. She says:

1. Don't be your partner's shadow; allow yourself to have wings of your own. "We genuinely enjoy each other's company but we give each other time apart, to pursue different interests, embrace different passions, so that when we come together at the end of the day there is much to share with each other."

2. Learn and respect your partner's limits. "You know how far you can push; you do not abuse your partner's tolerance level. That is half the job done already."

3. Make time for each other. "It is a daily commitment... no matter how busy you get, you make time for what you choose to have in your life."

Get more marriage tips from Lucy in the September issue of Good Housekeeping, available in newsstands, bookstores, and supermarkets nationwide. Become a fan of Good Housekeeping on Facebook via Facebook.com/goodhousekeeping.ph.