Jul 30 Marriage is like archery

(As I write this) I find myself lying on the couch on a late Saturday morning (er.. afternoon) eating pancakes and watching the Olympics. I’m scrolling through the channels, trying to find the event I want to watch the most and which has an American competing. Ultimately I land on, believe it or not, archery. This is not a sport I have ever really watched before and while The Hunger Games made it a bit cooler than it has been before, it’s not the fast paced excitement you would find in a running sport or one with head-to-head competition. But there is something about archery. It’s so precise. So detailed. And while it’s so “manly” when it comes to hunting, it’s graceful when shot at a target.

If you missed it, the Americans won our first medal in the Olympics with a silver. It was close to the very end against the Italians, but a few points ultimately put them in 2nd place.

(Via Yahoo Sport) This is Wukie. He was my favorite on the team not because he hit 10 after 10 but because his name is awesome.

(Insert lame attempt at an analogy here…bear with me!). Marriage is like archery. I know, I know… lame already… but marriage is like archery. Rather, instead of a once in a lifetime shot at hitting the target in the Olympics, you have daily attempts to hit the bullseye and to make your marriage great.

Think about it. Sometimes, we just miss the target all together. The people in the “audience” around us duck as the arrows barely miss their head when a husband says “yea, that dress doesn’t really fit you well…” or a wife says “Hey honey, when’s the last time you worked out?”. Other times we hit that target right on when the Mr. in the relationship brings home roses “just because” or the Mrs. decides it’s lingerie night.

Depending on the day, you could win the “marriage olympics” gold or not even make it to the trials. But the great thing is, you don’t have to wait four years to try again if you “fail”. As a member of your two person team, you can work together and start anew each day as you work towards the gold in each “event”. If one drops the ball, it can be a great opportunity for the other to swoop in and score the goal. Or, in keeping with archery, if one misses the target or scores a low point, the team mate can come and hit the arrow on the target for a perfect 10 to bring everyone back to the top. Whether that means bringing up your wife when she misses the mark with a compliment or showing restraint with your husband by calmly talking to him about the comment he just made instead of blowing up.

Take your time, aim carefully, and shoot for the target of uplifting your spouse, no matter the circumstance. If you mess up and don’t quite hit the target, don’t give up. As with any great olympian (er.. spouse), you will make mistakes. Learn from them and take another practice shot right away. It’s this practice, patience, and persistance that will take your marriage to that winning platform.