REAL Marriage

The news is full of stories about couples who say they don’t/can’t communicate. The reality is you cannot not communicate. You may or may not like the message you are getting but communication is constant. Now that things are winding down in Iraq there are many couples looking forward to increasing their face to face communication. However, there are times when it is better to take a break from active communication and those times are when there are H.A.L.T.S involved.

H.A.L.T.S stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired, and Sick. If either one of you are one of these things it is better to stop serious communication and remedy the situation. If you are hungary, eat together and let food ease you into a good conversation. If you are angry it is time to really look at what you are angry about and then devise an appropriate response that will help the situation instead of make it worse. If you are lonely say so politely and ask for the attention you need. If you are tired, rest. If you are sick, address the illness and then have your conversation.

“Taking care of these things takes too much time,” I hear people say. Do they really take any more time then the time you will spend arguing if you don’t take care of them? Take care of these situations and make an investment in good communication and an even bigger investment in your REAL marriage.