Morning Honey

Growing up, my mom made us watch a lot of old television shows. Andy Griffith, The Waltons, and Leave it to Beaver were on regular programming at our house. One of my favorite episodes of The Andy Griffith Show is when this married couple goes to Andy to seek counseling because they can't get along. And what does the wise sheriff suggest they do? Well talk nice to each other of course!

He instructs them to start their morning with a nice greeting. "Morning honey." "Morning dear." It takes the couple several mornings to get used to this, but it eventually changes the way they treat each other.

In the movie "Fireproof," the main character (Caleb...not my hubby, a different one) receives a book from his dad called The Love Dare. This book offers different challenges for each day during a 40 day period. Can you guess what the first dare is? You got it. Don't speak anything negative to your spouse. Sounds simple. But it's not.

Shouldn't I be nicest to my husband and close friends/family? Shouldn't they have priority over the random people we see at the grocery store/utility office/any place with customer service? I'm humiliated to say that I will be OVERLY nice and smiley (is that even a word?) to a clerk that I don't even know, and then turn around and snap at my hubby. For no reason at all. I speak to him worse than I do a stranger. And it's not just him...I do this to my family and friends as well. Ridiculous.

I'm tired of being hateful. I like to think that I'm a pretty nice person and easy to get along with (hold the ego down now). So today, I'm trying out that "speak nicely" part of the dare. I think it can change the way I treat the ones that I love.

Will you join me?