Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Secret to a Happy Marriage

Ever wonder what makes for a happy marriage?


Want to know some secret formula, recipe, or enlightning advice?


Sorry, I don't have any of that.


But I do have a perfect example of what has worked for us.


~


I was blow drying my hair this morning ~ a long process which usually takes at least 15 boring minutes! Being the multitasker that I am, I used my non-hair drying hand to tidy up the bathroom. I noticed that both of our toothpaste tubes needed to be replaced.


Yes.


I said BOTH.


We have separate tubes of toothpaste.


Anyway, as I was looking at these two pitiful empty tubes, I almost started laughing out loud remembering WHY we have separate tubes. You see, although Brian and I see eye to eye on virtually all the important stuff like religious beliefs, child rearing, money management, etc... We have very different beliefs on how you should dispense toothpaste.


Don't believe me?


See for yourself...





Brian's is the neatly flatened out tube on the bottom.


Mine is the one on top that looks like it has been strangled to death.


I am not too proud to admit it.


I am a toothpaste slob.


I have no excuses.


It just is what it is.




When we first married, we shared toothpaste. I mean, I thought married couples were supposed to share everything, right? Everyday I would grab and squeeze the toothpaste not giving it a second thought. Brian would meticulously run the toothpaste from back to front along the edge of the bathroom counter carefully dispensing the correct amount of paste. I kind of thought it was funny watching him do this time and time again until one day I realized how annoying it must be for him to have to share his toothpaste with a slob. What's even more pitiful is that I do not have the desire to change my habit because, quite frankly, I just do not care enough about toothpaste tubes. But I do care about him, and since I knew it would be a difficult habit for me to break after having brushed my teeth this way thousands of times over the years, the easiest solution was to go for separate tubes. I know it may sound silly, but at the end of the day, the lesson is "don't split hairs about the small stuff." I realize that probably no one's marriage has crumbled to pieces solely because of toothpaste squeezing issues, but the little things do add up. And if there are ways to avoid such problems ~ by all means, go for it!
So there you have it.
The 'secret' to our happy union.

4 comments:

  1. Oh my, that's caddywompus Sara! One way I diffused one of our few little issues is by placing a clothes hamper close to his side of the bed. We should write a book! We could save marriages one little annoyance diffuser at a time!

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  2. LOL! I am with Brian on this one. Did you know that you can buy a little clippy thing that goes on the bottom of the toothpaste that you just slide down as the tube empties??? LOL!

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  3. "The things you learn about your Pastor and his Wife on a Blog" could be the name of a new book. My husband and I started using 2 tubes of toothpaste when I wanted to try a new brand and he wanted Colgate. I do not think he would brush his teeth if he did not have Colgate! We have been married 47 years...so whatever works. Love Ya'll.

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  4. Hilarious...who knew you were a toothpaste slob???

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