Arriving home from work at my usual hour of 5 p.m. I discovered that it had not been one of my wife's better days. Nothing I said or did seemed to be right. By 7 p.m., things had not changed,

Arriving home from work at my usual hour of 5 p.m., I discovered that it had not been one of my wife's better days. Nothing I said or did seemed to be right. By 7 p.m., things had not changed, and I started to feel like I was walking on eggshells.

I tried the classic, "How was your day, honey?"

She sighed dramatically. "Do you really want to know?"

I nervously nodded, figuring I was in for a deep, emotional conversation.

She started, "First, the dog ate my favorite pair of shoes. Then, the kids spilled grape juice all over the new carpet. And to top it off, my car broke down in the middle of the freeway!"

I nodded, trying to empathize, "That sounds rough."

But then, she hit me with it—"And to top it all off, I made dinner, and you come home and immediately ask, 'What's for dinner?' Like I didn’t just spend two hours preparing it!"

I stared at the table, then at her, then back at the table, and thought for a second. I had to do something to turn this around.

I smiled and said, "You know what? I think I have a solution."

She raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "Really?"

I nodded confidently, "Yep. You deserve a break. I’ll make you a deal."

She crossed her arms, interested now. "What’s the deal?"

"I’ll cook dinner tonight," I said, and the look on her face was a mix of disbelief and cautious hope. "I’ll even clean up afterward."

She looked at me for a moment, then smiled slightly, probably thinking it couldn’t get worse.

I took over the kitchen like a man on a mission. Five minutes later, she came in to check on my progress, and I was standing proudly in front of a beautifully ordered counter, with a bowl of cereal and a plate of toast.

"There you go," I said, putting the plate in front of her, "Dinner is served!"

She blinked in surprise, "You... you’re serious?"

I grinned, "Absolutely. And tomorrow night, I’m ordering pizza. Your choice of toppings."

Her frown melted into a reluctant laugh, and I knew I’d survived the night. "You’re unbelievable," she said, shaking her head but finally getting the humor of the situation.

And that’s when I realized—sometimes, in marriage, the secret to surviving a rough day is just knowing when to embrace the chaos… and order takeout.