Advice That I Get From Strangers

One thing about me: I love asking open ended questions.

I once asked a young boy that I babysat some advice on picking out a dog to adopt. His advice: Pick a young one. It'll last longer. And this is one of my favorite memories of this kid.

Open ended questions give me an insight into someone else's world or into how they imagine my world. I have asked my friends, family, classmates, teachers, and strangers the most random or insightful questions I can think of. "How do you eat your ramen?", "What do you call your grandparents?", "What did you want to be when you were a kid?" Something about this fascinates.

Being engaged gave me a new topic to ask about. Here are some of my favorite responses.

From the stranger at the jewelry store:

"Never go to bed angry. Whatever you fought about with eat at you." 

This man was a master clown that was getting some old watches repaired. The Mr. and I were still glowing from our brand new engagement and when he congratulated us he also gave us this advice. The clown has been married for 30 years and have 3 kids, if this advice works for him we will definitely give it a shot! And while this advice is definitely well known, its a much needed reminder for such a stubborn pair (the Mr. and I).


From a classmate:

"Let marriage be something you're worried about. It matters."

I'm sure this advice might have been in response to all of the people that my classmate has seen get married and divorced but I really like it. In the bliss and romance of it all, its so important to remember that a wedding isn't just a social occasion. Its a promise to spend the rest of your life with the one you meet at the end of the aisle.


From another classmate:

"Be sure you're marrying the person you like to be around. Your partner needs to be your best friend."

He made sure to tell me that he finds his wife to be the most beautiful woman in the world but that's not why he married her. The woman he married is his best friend. Even if she wasn't beautiful, he would still want to spend his life with her. You can't marry someone because they are beautiful or wealthy because those qualities can fade. When you choose your partner, it must be someone you can just be with.


From a future in-law:

"When you get married, you're creating a new family. You need to defend that family, even from the old one."

This advice seems strange but this in-law lived it. Your partner nor your family are always going to say the right thing. Sometimes you need to side with the one you wed. Working to protect your spouse means to protect your marriage. With that being said, we have to hold each other accountable for our words and actions. It always helps to be a unit and not argue in front of family.


So! This is some of the advice that I've gotten. If you have some more please leave a comment below.

XOXO,

Miss YBE