Solving the World’s Problems, Together

“What world problem should we solve tonight?” my then fiancé Ted asked with a mischievous glimmer in his eyes.

I playfully rested my chin on my fist like the Thinker and responded, “Hmm … let’s see.”

As you may have guessed, this wasn’t the first time Ted had posed this question. More like the fifth or sixth. You could say it had become a regular date night tradition for us. I’d come to anticipate this “call to brainstorm” on our evenings out. Kind of like Ferb expects Phineas to exclaim, “I know what we’re going to do today!” each and every day of summer vacation. Although back in our date-night “change the world” days, Phineas and Ferb weren’t yet household names.

The thing is, unlike these animated stepbrothers — who really do accomplish an amazing feat each day — Ted and I knew we weren’t going to solve any significant world problems over dinner. On those evenings out, this question was just one of my out-of-the-box-thinking man’s creative ways of sparking conversation.

And it worked.

In retrospect, though, we realize that maybe our brainstorming sessions over restaurant tap water and caprese salad weren’t simply interesting conversations. Maybe they were practice.

Practice for what?

For all the moments to come in our marriage when we’d have to solve problems together. Hand in hand. Shoulder to shoulder. And let me assure you, in eleven years, there have been many.

[Read the rest of the post at For the Family.]