One of my favorite books of all time is The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha. It is a simple but delightful book because it is full of 1000 things that are great about life…things that are awesome! Some of his examples are:
- Hitting a bunch of green lights in a row
- The first scoop out of a jar of peanut butter
- When a social event you didn’t want to go to gets canceled
- The smell of rain on a hot sidewalk
Reflecting on this amazing book, I thought it would be fun to think of Awesome Things About Married Life. Since each relationship is unique, these may not be the same awesome things that you experience in your marriage, but this is a glimpse into the life of Greg & Elaine’s marriage…consider yourself forewarned.
Playing “Hey, What Is This?”
This is a game that we play quite often. One of us (Player A) will be scratching our back and feel something funny, like a bump. If this was on the leg or arm, it would be simple to view the issue and assess the situation; however, our heads are not owl-like, so this is when the game begins.
In the voice of a game show emcee, Player A says, “It’s time to play!” and the other person (player B) jumps into action. Player B puts on their glasses (thanks, old age eyes) and looks closely to assess the bump. It could be a pimple, an ingrown hair, or a dried chocolate chip from a late-night snack. In extreme situations, Player B will take a picture of the issue and show it to Player A to decide if a freak-out is needed.
This game can also be played if the issue is on the back of the head or anywhere on the backside of the body.
The Soap Retriever
Picture this scene. You’ve stepped in the shower and feel the water starting to cascade over yourself. You’ve adjusted the temperature to the perfect degree, and you’re singing your favorite song (for me, it’s Footloose). With your eyes closed, you reach for the soap (bar or body wash) and realize the person before you used just enough of the soap that there is not enough for you to properly clean all the important parts of your body.
You remember soap was bought on a recent shopping trip, but you don’t want to leave the warmth and comfort of your shower. How can you continue the shower with no suds in the future? The dog and cat are of no help and honestly, you came to the shower to enjoy alone time from the kids. Asking for their assistance would result in goldfish crackers spilling into the shower, giving you a mushy bath mat. Leaving the shower to grab the soap yourself is a nightmare because you’d be cold and leave a water trail to be cleaned up later.
The soap savior in this situation is your spouse. You call as loud as you can, probably more than once, and they enter the bathroom to save the day! After hearing you need soap, they retrieve it from the linen closet, unwrap it, and provide you with the resource you longed for. Now the shower can commence, and your body will now be clean as a whistle.
Sidenote – an important piece of this awesome is the grace extended to the person who last used the shower and used up the last bits of the soap.
Creepy-Crawly Killer
On the sixth day of creation, God made “living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind” (Genesis 1:24). The illustrations that are commonly found in kids’ Bibles depict elephants, lions, and giraffes as best friends, and we picture the God’s world as a warm and fuzzy place.
When a spider dangles from your ceiling fan onto your shoulder, you are probably not thinking holy thoughts. A mouse that finds a small pathway into your living room is not going to be a recipient of your hospitality giftedness. Creatures that come into your home can be horrific to some people and leave them paralyzed.
In almost every relationship I’ve come upon, there are two distinct people – a Brave Spouse and a Not-So Brave Spouse. In the event of a creature visiting a home, the Not-So-Brave Spouse is the one in the fetal position under five blankets. The Brave Spouse steps up to the challenge with a shoe, tissue, broom, or even their bare hand to clear the home of the unwanted (often fuzzy) guest. In the chance that your relationship has two Not-So-Brave Spouses, let’s hope you have a brave neighbor next door.
Paul’s words in Phil 4: tell us “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Paul didn’t tell us to think of awesome things in this verse, but I’d be willing to bet he would have if a teenager had introduced the word to him.
Has this initial list of Awesome Things About Married Life inspired you to think of your own? I’d LOVE to know anything that comes to your mind!
