Madina has been in the kitchen for the past two hours, cooking an elaborate surprise meal. Her husband Rick recently closed a deal at his real estate company that he'd been working on forever. And his insistence finally paid off! If that's not a reason to celebrate, what is?
The meal is prepared, the table is set, and the candles are lit. But Rick is nowhere to be found. Madina calls him but his phone goes straight to voicemail.
By the time he gets home half an hour later, dinner is cold and Madina is raging mad. She starts yelling at him before he even gets a foot in the door, disappointed that he ruined her surprise dinner.
Why does he always have to put work above everything else?
Unbeknownst to Madina, Rick was actually out at the jeweler getting her a piece of jewelry to celebrate his success. His phone was still off from a meeting he had earlier that day.
But the festive evening both of them had hoped for is over before it began.
How many times have you been in a situation where you got mad at your loved one, only to find out too late that things were much different than you had thought?
Most of the time our partners are not out to hurt us or engaged in purely selfish behavior.
But often we judge without knowing sufficient background to our partner's behavior.
This week, be patient and breathe before you act. Find out more before judging and reacting.
Give your partner (or the others you interact with) the benefit of the doubt.
Things may not be quite what they seemed and you may end up happy you didn't immediately assume the worst.