Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Grapefruit Syndrome

Before Ryan and I were married, we both met with my bishop for my final temple interview. He asked the usual questions, and then gave Ryan and I both a copy of this article:

Lola B. Walters, “The Grapefruit Syndrome,” Ensign, Apr 1993, 13

He had both of us read it and then report back to him what we thought. It is about a husband and wife that agree to have regular meetings with each other to report things that annoy each other. Today I picked an article at random off the internet and this is what I read:
"As I recall, we were to name five things we found annoying, and I started off. After more than fifty years, I remember only my first complaint: grapefruit. I told him that I didn’t like the way he ate grapefruit. He peeled it and ate it like an orange! Nobody else I knew ate grapefruit like that. Could a girl be expected to spend a lifetime, and even eternity, watching her husband eat grapefruit like an orange? Although I have forgotten them, I’m sure the rest of my complaints were similar.After I finished, it was his turn to tell the things he disliked about me. Though it has been more than half a century, I still carry a mental image of my husband’s handsome young face as he gathered his brows together in a thoughtful, puzzled frown and then looked at me with his large blue-gray eyes and said, “Well, to tell the truth, I can’t think of anything I don’t like about you, Honey.”

I guess i needed the reminder. Little things like the way that Ryan sleeps with his arms folded every night, or how he untucks the bed sheets at the bottom of the bed, or the way that he always eats my fries when we go to Wendy's are silly little things that I shouldn't let bother me. I think I have had a bit of the grapefruit syndrome lately. I know that I have little annoying tendencies...just like everyone else, and Ryan never points any of them out. What a great husband! I love you Ry.
D Monica

2 comments:

Jayelle said...

This is so true! Great reminder! (my Ryan untucks the bedsheets at the bottom of the bed too! LOL)

Kellie and Spencer said...

So true! Spencer untucks the sheets and blankets too. It must be a Bell thing!