Here we are in the Month of Love, and over the next three weeks, I plan to share a few of the deepest secrets I’ve learned in almost forty-four years of marriage. A zinger like this, for instance:
Don’t mumble.
My handsome husband and I have become People of a Certain Age. We may not have the stamina and physique of you young lovers, but we get into the movies cheaper. Plus, seasoning brings lots of other advantages we shan’t discuss in this forum.
Hearing, however, is not one of them.
Our conversations are sprinkled these days with one of the most irritating words in the English language.
Huh?
Seriously, a woman could lose her religion if she hears that word one more time while she is fixing breakfast, packing her bag for work, throwing in a load of laundry, and checking the fridge for supper ingredients.
I found myself in just such a tense moment recently. I had asked an important question. (Don’t ask me what it was. I have no idea.) My husband had answered with the usual response. Before I yelled the question back at him a second or third or fifth time, I stopped.
Huh. I thought. He can’t actually hear me. I should pull my head out of the fridge.
And there it was. The miracle of marital bliss. Instead of getting irritated, I simply needed to move my head. Or turn toward him in the car. Or lower the volume on the music. Maybe step away from the crowd. I needed to:
Stop and Focus
And do you know the best part, Dear Reader? Focusing is wonderful fun. The day starts so much better when you talk to the face you love instead of to the leftovers on the second shelf.
Note: This method also works with parents, children, roommates, co-workers, and pets.
Now it is your turn. Tell us what you are doing for relational bliss this month.