Tuning Your Marriage

Tuesday@10:10 - Marriage tips and insights
By Lavern Nissley

Although I don't play the guitar (keyboards are my niche), I know the importance of regular tuning. Most electric and acoustic guitars have six strings, any one of which can "drift" out of tune and affect the overall pleasantness of output. This is true regardless of style or genre of music.

Many guitars have built in tuners that allow for easy adjustments. Watch any pop concert, and you'll notice guitars being swapped out constantly for tuning. Orchestras tune to the oboe because its pitch is easy to hear and is fairly stable.

According to Wikipedia, A440 or A4, which has a frequency of 440 Hz, is the musical note A above middle C and serves as a general tuning standard for musical pitch.

Marriages can easily get out of tune from A440--that tone of "healthy interaction" that is pleasing to the couple itself and those "listening". If not tuned regularly, the "drift" can make others want to cover their ears!

How do you know if you're in or out of tune? See John Gottman's research on Marriage Predictors.

Ronda and I have found that we need daily tuning of our marriage. The RINGS Chat and praying together have become our A440. Annually, we've found a resource like The Couple Checkup helpful in identifying elements in our marriage that are out of balance.

Regardless of the "personality style" of your marriage, find an A440 that keeps you in tune!