What quality helps you stay happily married?
Patience
One of the qualities for a happy long-term marriage must be ‘patience’ as patience allows for a bigger perspective on events. It is so very easy to react in the moment to a situation only to discover a little later that you only had half the picture.
Sometimes these instant judgments are correct, but often they are not and, as we all know, it is easier to say nothing than to make amends from a previous judgment. Maybe this is where counting to ten before responding allows ‘wise’ brain to engage and prevent the need for an apology later.
We show great patience with our children when they learn to walk, talk, read write etc. How loving to apply this in marriage, to allow our spouse the time it takes to master the art of ‘marriage’, and, of course, to receive the gift of patience from our spouses.
