Staying I Do: Committed, Connected & Crazy In Loveনমুনা

BE HONEST

Let’s take a common scenario. Your spouse worked really hard on a new recipe, set it down in front of you, and waited in anticipation for you take your first bite. You know this is a setup. The acceptable responses are very limited, especially if you haven’t been married long. If you loved the dish and thought it was delicious, hooray! Everyone wins. However, if it was less than amazing, what do you do? Do you try to spare their feelings…or do you tell them the truth?

If you fake enjoying it, be prepared to eat that meal again and again. Truth is neutral. It’s the delivery that matters. Yes, you can express appreciation for the work and love that was poured into the meal, but spare yourself and your spouse the pain and agony of saying you liked it when you really didn’t.

Over the years, our waistlines grew. As we began to search for ways to reduce them, we would experiment with different recipes. This was like Russian roulette, shooting in the dark, or modern online dating. You never knew what you were going to get.

Charity would search for seemingly palatable recipes, purchase the ingredients, prepare and cook the food, and then hold her breath while she made me go in for the first bite. Like many, we were cutting back on bad carbs and looking for real replacements for some of our favorite foods. Like bread, for example.

After scanning recipes and ratings, Charity found what appeared to be the holy grail of low-carb toast. The ingredient list had me concerned, but I was willing to try anything for that crusty goodness I was craving. Charity prepped two servings of this magic concoction and we both drooled as we waited for it to bake. 

The smell should have been my initial warning to stay away, but I still had hope because it had the look and feel of toast. We buttered it and felt like kids on Christmas day. I was not wearing my “I’m the Guinea Pig” shirt that day, but my role was clear. 

“Try it,” she coaxed. 

Within seconds, I spit out that foul, crusty thing, straight into the trash can. Imagine how many times I would have had to eat that nasty cardboard if I had acted as if it was awesome or even decent?