All that glitters....

We've all heard the saying, "all that glitters is not gold."  That is true.  Some of the shiniest rings will turn your finger green before they tarnish and find themselves headed for the trash.  Looks and feelings can be deceiving.

Ladies, have you ever been so upset with your husband that you go to bed hours earlier than usual, only to find yourself simmering mad while you lie there in wait?  You know your husband is eventually going to make his way to the bed, and you are not going to say a single WORD!  You wish you could just fall asleep and show him, but that frustration is working your brain overtime.  So you lie there.  Very still.  Very quietly.  Waiting.  Waiting.  Did I really go to bed THAT early?!?  Just wait!  I will make him think he's really made me mad enough to go to bed at 7pm and fall asleep without even talking it out with him.  Finally, you hear the TV shut off in the living room and lights being switched off.  Footsteps.  You are sure to be lying on your side, facing away from him, when he gets in the bed.  You are certain he will try to speak to you, kiss you goodnight, check to make sure you're still breathing...but nothing.  He crawls into the bed, and you hear snoring before his head hardly hits the pillow.  How dare he?!?  Doesn't he know I've just sacrificed hours of my life to get a reaction out of him?

Marriage.  It can be difficult at times.  We all handle problems differently.  Some people can let go of an issue as soon as it's over.  Others hold onto the angst as long as they can, with plans of using it as ammunition in some future confrontation.  Some people need the confrontation in order to feel closure on the subject.  That's me.  I want to have it out right now and get it over with, because you can bet that I won't forget about it!  It will only be worse if I hang onto it and let it fester.  My husband, on the other hand, is the quiet type.  Who knows if he's still mad, ever was mad, or will be mad later?  He's mysterious that way.  It's caused problems on more than one occasion, this difference in handling conflicts.

The plain fact is that all marriages and relationships will face turmoil at one time or another.  Most will even wonder if they made the right decision in being with that person.  Some will be faced with major obstacles and will have to decide if they can get past them or throw in the towel.  I feel like so many people are throwing in the towel without much thought as to whether the relationship is salvageable or not.  There's a big ol' pile of towels out there!

My marriage hasn't been perfect.  I feel stress, doubt, anger, hurt, and regret more often than I care to admit.  I'm still hanging onto my towel, though.  I know that we have our glittering moments, as well as our green finger moments.  I also know that the ring on my finger is, indeed, gold, and I'm not planning on going anywhere!