Marriage Lessons From a Toaster

The beautifully wrapped anonymous gift was a mystery.

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At first, we thought it was a toaster.

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Did I say merely a “toaster”? Nay! It was a hand-personalized objet de toaster, dated in commemoration of our wedding day, and complete with a delightful touch of wabi sabi for the sake of authenticity and artistic merit.

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Our benefactor, obviously wise to our collective need for assistance with all things electronic, had helpfully included AND annotated the receipt and instruction tome for our benefit. And there’s nothing better than a straight up, single use, lifetime-guaranteed appliance from a reputable domestic retailer. Plus, we like toast. But the tome wasn’t much help; how to make it go?

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Hot-wiring didn’t work.

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We thought maybe it was one of those new bread-activated models, but it apparently does NOT accept thick slices.

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As Grampa used to say, “if the nail won’t go in, use a bigger hammer.”

No joy.

But then it came to us. If the side of a toaster can be transformed into an emotionally-charged canvas for heart-felt fine art, what else could the device be transformed into?

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Ha! It was a thinking model for marriage! For what IS marriage, if not the ever-present opportunity to consider life from a different perspective?

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A counter-top visual reminder for the days to come of the chronic need to try old things in new ways…

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… a reminder that we should work out our differences quickly, avoiding the twin pitfalls of festering resentment and silent indifference…

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… and if necessary, lower our center of gravity and patiently stay at it until differences are resolved.

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The toaster will always remind us of the importance of collaboration, and of the need to get on top of problems together and face the same direction if we are to be successful.

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It may take gritty determination…

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… and perhaps, we might need the help of a third-party to consider an issue, and shouldn’t be too proud to call in the big guns when we do.

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Funny how sometimes that third party can supply help from a source no one saw coming.

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As always, it’s just a simple matter of getting the power equation lined up correctly. We are SO proud to be the owners of the newest innovation to come, once again, from Silicon Valley: the energy efficient, off-the-grid, buffalo-chip powered, counter-top Marriage Successifier.

I love it when our Collective Creative Muses gets synced with our Inner Engineers on a project of Eternal Bliss.

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So thanks, Anonymous. You’ll never know how much this gift means to us.

7 thoughts on “Marriage Lessons From a Toaster

  1. Debra

    How you get this story out of a loaf of bread, a cheap toaster and a receipt is beyond me! BUT I’m glad you do! It’s wonderful to look at everyday things in a whole new light…whether that light is omniscent or not!

  2. Gail

    Wow…I haven’t seen so much action around breakfast accoutrements since Snap, Krackle, and Pop tried to jump into my cereal bowl! (Did you also get a lot of good wine for your wedding???)

  3. keith

    Advant Garde mind springs eternal…whatever..you guys are so much more interesting then normal folks….and I second that I want what your having!

  4. Tammy at The Butterfly Mind

    Wow. I like your toaster so much better than ours. You should frame the receipt. It’s a keeper!

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