Arguably Forever

Interesting article in the morning paper. "Couples who argue together, stay together!" Well that explains that!  I wonder if they need a poster couple?  Actually, that's an exaggeration. I try with everything I have to get a good argument going.........usually to no avail.  One of Lee's aggravating yet endearing qualities is the fact that he will not argue!  And try as I may, it's really fruitless (and not much fun) to have an argument with yourself.
The article contends that "small disagreements iron out small differences before they become major issues!"  That makes perfect sense.  If your mouth is moving, you're communicating...not always well but they say communication makes or breaks a marriage. The quoted counselor explained that often it's a case of "you're not listening to me, so I'm going to tell you louder."  In my case, we didn't need a marriage counselor, we needed Miracle Ear!  If you can't hear me bitching, you don't respond!
Women bring up issues of conflict 80% of the time......Shocker!  Here are some tips for a fair fight:

• Never dredge up old issues ( I can't believe old gf's aren't still fair game after 40 years!)
• Never bring in 3rd parties ( I still affirm, if my Dad agreed with me, I was right!)
• Avoid using "You always" and "You never" (I'm in trouble with this one!)
• Treat your partner with respect (still think you have to earn it for each dispute)
• If you owe your spouse an apology, make it. (Does that mean I have to admit I was wrong?)

The "study" says arguing with your spouse at least once a week makes for stronger, longer marriages. So by my calculations, we've had 1898 healthy arguments and we'd better get one in by Thursday to stay on track. :-)  I can do that!