Iced Tea and Marriage

When Jean and I were dating, I made a big mistake. I served her tea.

That may not sound like such a big deal to you, but I was wooing this girl. I wanted to marry her. On this particular occasion, however, everything nearly fell apart. I went all out. I packed a full picnic lunch, complete with a basket full of food, a blanket to sit on, and iced tea. I thought everything was perfect.

And it would have been, except she doesn’t like iced tea. I didn’t know that. I can only characterize her response by saying that she must have been wooing me, too, because she drank her tea and kept right on smiling the whole time.

I’m sure you and your spouse could tell stories like that of your own. Before marriage, you gladly ignored each other’s quirks and eccentricities. After marriage, those things sent you through the roof. My encouragement is to keep pursuing each other. Don’t allow boredom to overtake your relationship. When you give up the chase, simple misunderstandings soon escalate into full-blown arguments. Little things like iced tea become a source of havoc.

Start wooing each other again. Become an oasis for one another. Do little things every day that remind your spouse, “I still love you.” And if you have a problem that’s as simple as iced tea, maybe just smile through it.