In Her Kitchen, Trying to Fit In Her Shoes
I’m a decent husband at best. Occasionally, I have a short burst of brilliance and reach a higher status. My wife is an amazing person. Upon meeting her, people quickly discern her patience, humor, intellect and ability to make everyone feel welcome.
Like a lot of people we are huge college football fans and our Saturdays are genuinely planned around the all day festivities (side note: as a Tennessee fan these days are filled with a bit more stress & excitement). But back to the festivities. My wife typically makes food to take with us when we visit friend’s homes for games. Prior to the GA game (yes, THAT GA game) our schedules were tight and I made the dish so she could get ready.
I love her feta dip (recipe below w/ nutrition facts) and my wife describes this particular appetizer as “really simple and easy to make”. Thus, I’ve always taken her for her word and assumed that was the case. Not so much. With only three ingredients the prep time and corresponding steps to completion were far more tedious than ever let on.
I’m standing there de-seeding 100 roma tomatos and that’s when it hit me. I realized how important it is to keep your spouse’s perspective close to your own (insert significant other, co-founder, friend and neighbor). As the famous proverb goes empathy and understanding go a long way to ensure relationships are strong and thrive throughout time.
Don’t be so sure about recurring situations. I certainly was in assuming a three ingredient dish and my wife’s refrain on simplicity meant little work. Again, not so much. I am going to work at taking more of her jobs on with regularity to strive for better balance and perspective. I know this will increase empathy and better our communication.
What if we all approached this framework in all of our relationships with co-workers, parents, siblings, DMV personnel and your server? Your lens through which you see life would clearly have a better hue.
I stumbled upon an interesting framework to implement this proverb. Take a consistent setting (our kitchen in this case), add a familiar task (a favorite dish) and offer to switch roles (me in the kitchen where I can’t see the football vs. on the couch waiting on her). I can assure you will be enlightened, build stronger relationships and carry better perspective.
If you try it let me know how it goes in the comments. Here’s to building better relationships all around. Be well.
Easy Feta Dip recipe and nutrition below. Nutrition analyzed by our rock star NourishWise team member Lara Murphy MS, RD, LD.
Nutrition Info Per Serving*:
Protein: 6g
Calories: 210
Total Fat: 20g
Carbs: 3g
Recipe yields 6 servings. *Baguette not included in analysis
And here is the recipe and instructions. Enjoy!
