Improve Your Marriage (In Just One Day)

Life’s tangles are no match for radio personality Garrison Keillor’s relationship.

EVERY MARRIAGE has its ups and downs. There are the days when you look at your spouse and hear choirs humming hallelujahs, and there are the days when you wonder, “Who are you, and what is your stuff doing in my house?” Those are the days when you play golf. Fishing works, too, or writing sonnets or digging post holes. It keeps the two of you apart for a few hours, and usually that’s all you need.

I have an after-dinner speech about marriage that is about 15 minutes long and somewhat funny. (“The rules for marriage are the same as for a lifeboat. No sudden moves, don’t crowd the other person and keep all disastrous thoughts to yourself.”) As a thrice-married guy, I feel an obligation to share such insights.