“That’s it!  I knew it.  My kids had ear infections or lice or something last week and I think they somehow gave it to my wife, and now I’ve got it!  I should have known!”  No, no, no.  This is not some kind of creepy crawling thing in your ear (even though it does sort of sound that way).

Have you ever had those times when you hear a song and can’t get the tune out of your head?   Perhaps it was “Can’t Stop Believin” by Journey or The Jackson 5’s “ABC.”  It seems like no matter how hard you try, you just can’t stop singing in your head “ABC, It’s easy as 1,2,3 . . .”  Well, this are what psychologists refer to as “earworms.”

As researchers have analyzed the kinds of songs that become “earworms” they found that those tunes that were up-beat, had familiar melody, and had a uniqueness about them were more likely to get into the “repeat loop” in our brains.

As I read about this, I couldn’t help but wonder if the same isn’t true in our marriages.  What makes you look forward to coming home to be with your spouse?  For me personally, I always know that she is going to be glad to see be (up-tempo), she is a familiar and comfortable place for me (familiar melody), and she is my wife and woman like no other (unique).  I find that the more those characteristics are true, the more my spouse is like those stuck tunes in my head (I can’t bring myself to call her an “earworm.”  Any word with “worm” in it just seems like a poor comparison.  But you get the point.)

My question for you to ponder though is, are you striving to become a pleasantly stuck tune in your mate’s head?  Are you an up-beat, familiar, unique welcoming place for him or her?  If not, that might be something to consider this week.  Remember, your wife is “Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world. . . ”