Okay, okay, it is, when all is said and done, an ad for a mop. But hey, this little
commercial tells the story of a couple who have been happily married for forty four years.
While the video is not packed with ideas for achieving marital longevity, it is quite simply one story. It provides a counterweight to the magazine covers that assault my eyes when I go to the grocery store. Headlines about sex and slender bodies blaring with the message that youth and bathing suits are the epitome of happiness make me shiver with inadequacy. I lost that race a long time ago.
I dream of when the newsstand will be a display of articles on kindness, commitment and spiritual values. I tried to create just such an array last weekend when I had a booth at a country fair. There were newsletters about marriage with glossy photos of fully clothed couples, and hand outs about communication with pretty fonts. But 98% of my freebies went home with me after six hours. If there is a way to market healthy relationships I have not mastered it.
But I may buy that mop.
