Genuine Good Humor and the Tenderness of a Woman's Heart

• Trevi Fountain Restoration Fund
• "We Support Socialism" Campaign
• English Speaking Tax
• Ignorant Tourist Tax
• Breathing Italian Air Bill
• American Arrogance Fine

Confused yet? 

These are just a few of the reasons that we came up with to tell people why we spent an extra 100 Euros on our train back to the airport on our honeymoon. The real reason? We had the wrong tickets for the train we were on and the fine was 100 Euros (~ $110) plus the cost of the tickets. We tried to explain that the ticket agent we bought the tickets from assured us that it was good for the train to airport, but there's no room for excuses in their system. 

And it was an excuse. We knew we were on the wrong train and we knew our tickets weren't good for that class. They were good for a train to the airport - just for the commuter, not the express We also knew that we hadn't been checked on all the other trains we had been on and decided to risk it. 

My beautiful new bride was a upset. She felt like it was her fault. She also knows that I deal with stressful situations by making a joke, so she wasn't sure if I was upset with her or not when I started making this list. She was vulnerable and hanging by a thread wondering if her new husband was already mad at her. 

Fortunately, I really wasn't mad. It was a learning experience. It was also an experience we hadn't had together before and she needed to be reassured that everything, especially the two of us, were okay. She did become convinced as adding to this list has become a running joke that makes us genuinely laugh. 

This gives us a glimpse into the heart of a woman. That beautiful new bride of mine is so tender and loving and my approval of her is critical to her emotional well being. A woman doesn't become hard and numb to her husband overnight. It's in these moments where she's vulnerable and not sure what you think of her that she looks to you to decide if she is going to run into your arms or lay the next brick in her wall. 

None of us are going to get it right every time. But this is the woman that you prayed about. You asked her Dad for the right to marry her. You asked her for her heart and promised to love her for the rest of your lives. You can overcome a little turbulence on this journey.

Yeah, our mistake cost us $110. But you know what? An hour with a good counselor would have cost that much as well. The assurance that she received when she knew I had genuine good humor about the situation was worth it. Life throws us curve balls and sometimes we swing and miss. But try to keep your wits about you and find the humor in the situation. Show your Lady that you approve of her and love her. You'll hit that one out of the park.