Yesterday Mike arrived home from work and announced we were going to see a plot of land – not for us to buy – but it was a work related land inspection. He handed me a piece of paper with the plan of the land and he said, “you be navigator”. Off we went. The land was not far away. High on the Fish Hoek mountain side, it would be a doddle to find, even for me, the direction-limited, hopeless navigator wife of a land-surveyor. Mike said, ‘where do I go’. I told him, then changed my mind, then changed it again. A tiny little map on the plan showed where the land was. You really needed a magnifying glass, but I soldiered on. I saw Ranger Road on the map, so told him to head up there. The problem with Fish Hoek is that Ranger road is split into at least 3 parts. We were on the one furthest from the sea, so that clearly was not the right one.
Road navigation can be one of marriage’s toughest challenges. Most of our biggest tensions have been in the car! But yesterday’s visit to see this plot was more like a game. I took Mike the wrong way about 4 times. Not only is Ranger Road split, there are also two Berg Roads. So no wonder I went wrong. But it was all light-hearted with no tension and a lot of flirtatious comments being thrown between the two of us. In the end we got there. There was no criticism. Mike knows my sense of direction is very bad and that I am not the navigator in the family. He knows he takes a huge risk giving me a map to read. I will get you lost! Trust me! GPS were made for people like me and even using them, I still get lost.
Every time we got to a dead end, Mike would say, ‘where would you like me to go now?’ And I would say ‘go this way’ or ‘go that way!’ And he would! He laughed and I giggled at my hopelessness and when we finally found the place, I said “I always knew it was here!” Ha ha! I actually had seen that road fairly often but just had forgotten its name!
As we climbed up onto the steep plot to admire the view, Mike turned back and put out his hand to help me up. It was a tender thoughtful moment. He was a gentleman when I met him and 30 years later, nothing has changed.
Ephesians 4:32
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Keep the smile going. It’s invaluable in marriage!
God bless you!
In His Grip,
Helga xx 🙂