Shift #3: Laugh more.
One of the things that drew my husband to me was humor. He says I am the CFO of our family. That might not stand for exactly what you think it stands for.
It’s Chief Fun Officer.
We had some pretty lean, mean years with some of the stuff I already mentioned. What I didn’t mention was that on any given day I looked like I was fresh out of central casting for a zombie apocalypse film. Life sucked the fun out of me. I’m not saying all the levity in our marriage is on me because that’s not fair. But somewhere along the way, life got too serious.
The happy-marriages research talks about bossing our feelings around, and there’s something to this. Scripture reminds us to think about what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. (I would add silly to the list, but that’s me.) I decided to start being fun again. This doesn’t mean Greg always laughed at my jokes (even though they were funny) because we were still working things out. But Proverbs 17:22 (NIV) nails it: A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
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