A friend recently sent me a clip from a show that ran from the 1950s through the 1970s called The Honeymooners. It starred Jackie Gleason and Sheila MacRae, who played Ralph and Alice Kramden, a couple living in Brooklyn in a small apartment, trying to make ends meet.
To the Moon, Alice!
I watched an episode on YouTube the other night and laughed out loud. Whenever Ralph became frustrated with Alice, he would say, “To the moon, Alice, to the moon!” While this is classic comedy, it presents a very interesting and true picture of what marriage can be like at times.
I’ve had moments in my marriage where I wished I could send my husband straight to the moon with a one-way ticket. I would wave at him on very clear nights through a telescope in my backyard. When I reflected on my desire to send him on a moonwalk, often it was when he wasn’t seeing things my way, or when I refused to look at things from his perspective.
The Bucket Method
One of the silliest disagreements we ever had was over the correct way to clean a toilet. My husband calls it “the bucket method.” One simply gets a small bucket filled with water, dumps it in the toilet, and the water miraculously disappears. By using this cleaning method, the toilet is completely cleaned below the water line. I looked at my husband and said, “Are you serious?” He said, “Of course, this is the ONLY way to clean a toilet.” I replied, “Since you do such a wonderful job, honey, I’m sure you would be happy to make this your weekly chore.” He hired a housekeeper two months later.
To-the-moon marriage moments usually are the result of a spouse who doesn’t agree with your way of doing things. After all, your way is the right way. How can you possibly be wrong? There might be alternative solutions to completing a household task or making a major decision. However, we become focused on only one possible outcome–ours.
Before you decide to build a lunar landing module in the backyard for your spouse, you might benefit from a few moments of self-reflection. Your spouse may have some great ideas, if you’re willing to listen.
Copyright © 2017 Sheri Mueller, Growthtrac Ministries
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Sheri Mueller
Sheri Mueller is an LCPC who earned her M.A. in Professional Counseling from Olivet Nazarene University. A certified facilitator and trainer for PREPARE/ENRICH, Sheri has worked for more than 15 years to help individuals, premarital couples, and married couples build and maintain healthy relationships. An Adjunct Professor at Judson University and author of numerous articles and a regular column, Mentor Minute, Sheri, with her husband, Jim, founded Growthtrac Ministries. Check-out Sheri's book, "I Want Him to Want Me: How to Respond When Your Husband Doesn’t Want Sex "
