Briefcase on the Kitchen Table

I will totally admit to being somewhat of a political junky. I know a lot of people can’t stomach politics for more than five minutes at a time and I understand why; it is usually a fusion of bad acting, finger pointing, tantrums, and little productivity. But I think it is entertaining at its worst and crucial at its best. To feed my habit I watch political talking heads on the television and listen to political podcasts throughout the week. A trend I noticed several years ago was that “compromise” was starting to become a dirty word in the political world. If a candidate was “compromising” on her values or a politician stated that he was willing to “compromise” with the other party in order to pass a piece of the legislation it was portrayed as a bad thing. There is special irony in this because, in many ways, the political systems in the U.S. rests on the idea of compromise; of both sides giving a little to achieve a lot for the greater good.

It got me thinking about how my marriage would function if I followed the example of our leaders. What if every time Avery and I disagreed about where to go out to eat, it meant we wouldn’t eat? Or what if every time we didn’t see eye to eye on what concert to go to it meant we never went? Or, beyond the trivial stuff, what if neither one of us were willing to compromise when it came to where to live or where to take a job or how long we would have to move? I cannot help but think how miserable my marriage would be if it was nothing more than a day-to-day struggle of us each digging our heels in despite agreeing to be in a partnership.

I am totally willing to say that I compromise on a daily basis. I have made small compromises and big compromises. So has my husband. We don’t each have everything exactly our way so it may surprise you to know that, in this world in which “compromise” has become a dirty word, we are both EXTREMELY happy. Compromise isn’t a dirty word; it is the most important word to actually getting anything accomplished.