The High Cost Of Speaking Your Mind (standard:humor, 900 words)
Author: Godspenman	Added: Apr 09 2017	Views/Reads: 1871/1284	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
The old saying goes that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. However, I’m surprised the old dog doesn’t know the old tricks. What good is a new trick if you have not really mastered and learned from the old tricks?

One thing I have learned throughout my life is sometimes speaking your
mind only gets a piece of somebody else's mind – and not the good 
piece. 

The old saying goes that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. However,
I'm surprised the old dog doesn't know the old tricks. What good is a 
new trick if you have not really mastered and learned from the old 
tricks? 

My experience in this area stood me in good stead for many years. An
incident happened recently bringing to light how valuable this “old 
trick” really is. I may not be good in the new tricks, but I think I 
have mastered a few of the old tricks. 

I really do not know when this incident started, but somewhere along the
line I said something resembling a guttural “uh huh,” and forgot about 
it. What you say in these odd moments may determine your quality of 
life for many years to come. This points out the difference between 
husbands and wives. 

The only way a husband can remember what he had for lunch is to look at
his shirt. A wife's memory, on the other hand, is so keen she can 
remember things that never happened. 

In the midst of a mild domestic discussion, any wife worth her salt can
bring her husband to his knees by simply stating, “But, Honey, you 
promised me.” 

At that point, no husband has the equipment to counter that argument. He
may well have promised, but there is no way to prove one way or the 
other. 

About a month ago, the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage got it into
her mind to remodel the kitchen. During this time, I did a pretty good 
job of staying out of her way. When the rare opportunity came 
soliciting my personal advice on a matter associated with this 
remodeling project, I quickly and enthusiastically supported her 
decisions. 

The man who carefully measures his words will add happy years to his
life. I sure don't know how long I'm going to live, but I want that 
time to be happy. 

Following the kitchen remodeling my wife proceeded to remodel her
bathroom. At this point I should have had some suspicions, but I 
didn't. As a husband, I am not equipped with a “suspicion detector.” 
Experience should have taught me that if one project is done 
successfully it only inspires another project. 

When a wife gets it in her mind to remodel part of the house that
thought gets stuck and there is no stopping her. After each remodeling 
project is completed, my wife always asks my opinion of the job she has 
just done. 

I have learned that if I do not want to do the job myself, I
enthusiastically praise the job my wife has done. Any critique that 
leads toward the negative has a reciprocal effect. 

Of course, there is a thing as too much enthusiasm, and I found that to
be so in this recent remodeling frenzy at our house. I must admit I did 
detect a certain busyness around the house, but I have learned it is 
better not to inquire. 

Then I come home from the office one day. Not that it is unusual for me
to come home, but this time when I came home, I was greeted at the door 
by my wife, with a smile that indicated to me that either something was 
wrong or I was in trouble. 

“I have something I want to show you,” she giggled as she took my arm
and led me back through the hallway. “I've been working on this all day 
and I'm anxious to show you what I did.” 

She then proceeded to escort me to one of the most sacred areas of our
blessed domicile. My bathroom. Nothing is more personal and sacred as a 
man's bathroom. 


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