I truly believe that my marriage has lasted this long and is better today because of Karen. I have never been able to read a map. Thanks to Karen, I don’t have to.
In the “old days”, my husband and I would have argued with each other about the best route to take. Now, relieved to be totally out of the loop, I can sit back and listen to him argue with Karen, our GPS voice. “She’s crazy, ” he said when she told him the route she planned to get him to the airport. “Isn’t this set for fastest time? This isn’t the fastest way. I’m turning left,” my husband yelled to the box. That’ll teach her, I thought to myself.
When he doesn’t follow her directions Karen doesn’t get all pissy or start a fight. She doesn’t threaten to cut off sex with him until he offers a sincere apology. I realized I can learn a lot from her. Karen goes with the flow. When my husband turns left instead of right our GPS merely says “recalculating, recalculating”. And she will repeat this over and over again, without raising her voice or giving attitude, until she figures out a new route. One that is undoubtedly better than the one she had originally planned. And even if the trip takes an extra ten minutes, she never says “I told you so.”
I’ve learned a lot from my GPS. I’ve learned sometimes it’s best to opt out of an argument and say “Yes dear. I love you!”
Joan's Journal 