Learning To Be Thankful For The Annoying Things Your Spouse Does

Are there things that annoy you about your spouse?

• Maybe you feel they spend too much time on the computer. (What could they be possibly doing all that time?)
• Maybe they leave their dirty clothes on the floor (Why is it so hard to just hang them up, or at least put them in the laundry basket?)
• Maybe they put things away before you’re finished using them. (Why can’t they just leave things alone until you’re finished, or at least ask first?)
• Maybe they drive too slowly for your taste. (Why can’t they drive more like you, at least when we’re together?)
• Maybe they have an irritating habit, like how they blow their nose, scratch their backside, burp, or hiccup. (Didn’t their mother teach them anything?)

The truth is that your spouse possessed many of these habits before you first met. Much of the behavior you experience each day is built into their DNA. In other words, for the most part God made your spouse this way.

And this is the person you fell in love with.

• The same person who spends too much time on the computer is the one to whom you’re grateful for how they quickly find the perfect solution to your everyday problems.
• The same person who just drops their clothes on the floor is the one you admire for their ability to be spontaneous, for their creativity, or the way they always put people first before possessions.
• The same person who keeps putting things away is the one you appreciate for keeping your world organized and neat.
• The same person who drives too slowly for your taste is the one you trust to drive your children around because you know they will be safe.
• The same person who has that irritating habit is the one you appreciate for allowing you to feel relaxed and at home without any need to worry about your own strange habits.

The secret to removing the feeling of annoyance is the value of thankfulness. When you can see the flip side of the irritation, you just might see all the wonderful characteristics that you first fell in love with. It’s all a matter of perspective.

So you can choose to be annoyed or your can choose to be thankful. It’s your choice.

What annoying thing does your spouse do?

What’s the flip side for which you could be thankful?

Today’s value was selected from the “Appreciation-Kindness” category, based on the e-book Developing Your Differentiating Values.