You can't argue with that

"Your dad and I don't argue anymore," my mom said. We were standing in the kitchen last week, enjoying close proximity to one another for the first time in over a year.

"Really?" was my response. Arguing had once come as frequently to my parents as junk mail.

"Yes," she said. "After 35 years of marriage, there is nothing left to argue about.  We've both agreed to accept each other, just the way we are.  Every minute spent arguing is a minute we could have spent enjoying each other."

Mom's wise words struck me, and in fact they have shaped the way she and I have been interacting these past two weeks. Don't get me wrong, I still do things that get under her skin, and she mine, but we have made up our minds that enjoying each other is way more important - and way more fun - than bickering over the same old things.

As a result, our conversations have been warm, deep, and fulfilling for us both.

I am determined to choose this form of contentment in all of my relationships. Life is just too short! Of course, should my feelings truly get hurt, it would be unhealthy to bury them.  But the next time I find Daniel's wet towel heaped on top of the dresser, for example, I plan to shake it out, hang it up, and give my precious husband a hug.