We're all guilty of not listening. Men and women. Over time, I think you just become so accustomed to hearing that person's voice that it becomes part of your atmosphere. It's the sound of birds chirping. The neighbor's lawn mower in the distance. The music from down the hall. The furniture in the room. It's there. It's supposed to be there. It's comforting. It's home and home is forgiving. You don't mean to tune it out. But it's like their voice short circuits your ears.
And that's why one of the best kept little secrets about a long term relationship is the sheer pleasure you get when you get to say something shocking enough to shatter that fake listening facade.
You see, I read up that you can get rid of raccoons by soaking tennis balls in ammonia and then placing them in the place the little rascals have made a home. So, as my wife was heading up to bed last night, I casually said, "Good night. I'm going to soak my balls in ammonia and then I'll be up."
As you can imagine, I got the reaction from her I wanted. A "What?!" followed by a genuine guffaw followed by laughter on both our part. That moment right there is the best part of a long term relationship.
We don't always have to listen to get the really good stuff we need from a relationship. It's in there. Baked in. We know the birds are chirping whether we truly hear them or not, and that's comforting.
