My wife Lizzie came home one day giggling, handed me a piece of paper while saying she loved the story on it. It read: “Sally was driving home from one of her business trips in Northern Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road. As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the Navajo
woman if she would like a ride. With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car. Resuming the journey, Sally tried in vain to make a bit of small talk with the Navajo woman. The old woman just sat silently, looking intently at everything she saw, studying every little detail, until she noticed a white bag on the seat next to Sally."What in bag?" asked the old woman. Sally looked down at the white bag and said, "It's a box of chocolates. I got it for my husband". The Navajo woman was silent for another moment or two. Then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder, she said "Good trade." While Lizzie continued to giggle I wondered to myself, “Is she trying to tell me something about me and the state of our marriage?”
All marriages are happy, it’s the living together that causes all the problems. Consider a few of the problems that stress a marriage. At the top of the list are financial challenges, household responsibilities, balancing busy schedules, pressures of work not intended to, but most often brought home. Trying to keep communication lines open by really talking heart to heart. This sincere communication is especially hard for males. I once saw a bumper sticker that summed it up. It read “My wife keeps saying I never listen to her…or something like that.” And finally, the ultimate challenge to marriage, that of raising children. Two of my favorite sayings on the realities of raising a family are “If you kill your brother, we’re not going to McDonalds” and “My child has A.D.D. and a couple of F’s”. No wonder a person may consider trading in their spouse for a box of chocolates.
*To read the full article, click here.