Day 36: Acknowledge the Stress

I saw this comment on a blog:

The process of getting wed is a microcosm of your life together, with concentrated patches of stress and joy as you work out how to become a family. That's why it's a rite of passage. We do ourselves a disservice by keeping quiet about the stress, because the stress is all part of the process that makes us come out stronger and better-prepared to share a life together. Those shouting matches (or however you handle it) are important - it's a time to work so much out. That's my take on it, anyway. Not just "it's ok" but "it happens that way for a reason.

Valid, but dangerous.  Yes, we should acknowledge the stress inherent in this process, but how, when, where, and to whom you express this stress are all equally, or more important than, the mere act of expressing them itself.

If, through these 100 days, I can begin to learn how to manage not only stress but the expression of stress, as well as other negative emotions, it'll serve Chris and me well for the rest of our lives.