Marriage ain’t easy.

Let’s forget about the sex part for a minute – I know, it’s not easy for me either — and think about the mega marriage strain caused by simply deciding who takes out the freakin garbage every Thursday night.  (Or who cleans the bathroom, or who does the dishes, or who takes the boy to Tae Kwon Do, or how many Christmas cards to send, or who does the whites… I’m getting stressed just thinking about it!)

My room. (If my wife wasn't around.)

I mean … If you’ve got the division of labor all figured out at your house, then you’re a better man than I am.  It seems like the missus and I can never get things exactly right when it comes to chores and responsibilities.  I’m always looking for help on the home front, and I found a helpful tip today in this article:

The Key to Successful Marriage? Say ‘Thank You.’

Here’s the advice in in a nutshell: “A successful relationship depends not just on how partners divvy up the household chores, but also on how they express gratitude.  A new study sheds light on why one partner often gets stuck with certain household chores while the other is oblivious to the piled-up laundry or overflowing garbage. The trick to harmony could be a simple “thank you,” the research indicates.

Come to think of it, I’m definitely quick to show my wife gratitude for the big things like, say, surprise morning fellatio…  But I don’t thank her nearly enough for doing the little things — like bringing home some good takeout or replacing my toothbrush before it falls apart.  Then again, she hasn’t thanked my lately for my work for Boston Medical Group, so I guess we’re even.