Hi y’all!! With all the excitement and busyness of V6, I seem to be crafting these sweet marriage hint posts in unusual locations these days. This week I collected my thoughts behind the scenes at our shoot in Chapel Hill. I got a chance to talk all things marriage with a room full of sweet girls, all of whom provided unique and precious outlooks – quite appropriate for this week’s hint.
Thus far, we have tackled hints one and two and today we are swapping shoes!! This doesn’t mean literally trying on each other’s shoes, though the thought of Kyle in my monogrammed Jack Rogers does make me giggle. We are talking about perspective. In other words, how does this situation look from your spouse’s side of the hen house?
Why is this important? Appreciating where the other person is coming from can go a long way. Whether you are trying to make date night plans, pick out a new sofa or decide where you are spending Christmas, ‘putting on your spouse’s shoes‘ gives you a chance to take a step back and open yourself to a better understanding and the opportunity to open the door to compromise.
It could be something as simple as a household chore. I am a ‘make the bed every day’ kind of gal because I feel that it helps start the day off one the right foot. If no one ever visited, Kyle would rarely make the bed because — from his point-of-view — you rumple the covers and climb in at night so why waste time making it up in the morning? After hearing my viewpoint, Kyle graciously joined team ‘make the bed every day’. [Note: I have tried to join team ‘squeeze the toothpaste from the bottom of the tube’ because KPW presented a strong position after we started sharing toothpaste. My other compromise is to buy separate tubes ;)]
I can think of a heap of other topics we have successfully navigated, both big and small, by trying on each other’s shoes. It is amazing what a dose of perspective can do for a situation. Conceding isn’t always easy or necessary, but if you swap shoes, at the very minimum you open things up to healthy conversation. And might I remind you to use your words ;)
With that, we continue on our quest to change the world one good marriage at a time, with laughter, communication and perspective under our belts. Sound off below and share what you have learned by ‘putting on your spouse’s shoes’!
PS: You can catch the intro to all 10 + 1 hints here
P.P.S. See more from this sweet engagement shoot by Dixie Pixel in our Facebook Friday feature! Dixie Pixel is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!
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