I have had a certain dream many times over the years. Of course, it could be inclined to be a nightmare if it doesn’t come true.

The dream is that one day of the week; I can make it all go my way. The nightmare part of that dream is that it never tells me what day everything will go my way.

One morning I told the kind lady of the rectory about my dream to see if she could give me any advice.

“Don’t you remember,” said my wife, “that day was three years ago? You already had that day when everything went your way.”

That was the most specific he could get. She never told me what day it was that everything went my way. I’m only a little suspicious of all that. If I had had a day where everything went my way, I certainly would have remembered it.

So for a week I’ve been trying to figure out what it would be like today when everything went my way. I came up with a variety of scenarios, but nothing worked out for me.

Last night, while we were watching television, he seemed to be staring into space. My wife said, “You’re not thinking of a day when everything will go your way, are you?”

“No,” I said with a smile, “I’m just thinking of a joke.”

“Okay, what joke were you thinking of?”

Without thinking, I said, “Why was 6 afraid of 7? Because 7 … 8 … 9”.

“Will you ever get over that joke?” And we both laughed.

I think of course he knew he wasn’t thinking of a joke. I was thinking about what the day would be like if everything went my way. I just couldn’t get it out of my mind.

One of the first things that would be a part of that day would be every time my wife asked me a question; She would understand the question and give you an answer that would satisfy her.

Every now and then, I reply to her and she seems happy with the reply. But never two in a row. What would a day be like for me if every time my wife asked me a question, I answered, according to her specifications?

I’m sure it would be a pretty scary day, especially for her.

As I was thinking about this, another thought came to mind. What would a day be like when I could accomplish everything on my ‘To Do List’ and have time for something else, like having fun?

Thinking about it made me smile because I can never think of the moment when I had a day like this. I usually end a day thinking about the things that I didn’t get to that day. This is my day.

The kind lady of the parsonage knew I was thinking along these lines, so she said very cheerfully, “What would a day be like for you if you had never thought of an apple fritter?”

Only she would come up with something like that. As for me, it would be a terrible day. So that’s crossed out.

Another thought took over my mind. What would a day be like if I could anticipate all the questions that the kind lady of the parsonage would throw in my direction and have the answer in my language?

What would a day be like for me if I stopped by and bought my wife a gift before I went home? A gift that when I gave it to her, she would laugh and say, “I was thinking of going to get this for me. How did this look to you?”

The more I thought about this, the more I understood that if I had so many days when everything went my way, my life would get pretty boring. It’s the unexpected things in life that make life really exciting and challenging.

If I could plan everything and do everything I planned, I’d be so bored that I wouldn’t know what to do.

Thinking about this, I thought, how on earth has the Gracious Lady of the Parish House managed to do this every day of her life?

What would our house be like if we both had everything turn out the way we want it every day? How can we distinguish ourselves from each other?

Maybe I could handle a day when everything goes my way, but I certainly don’t want every day to be like this.

As I was thinking about this, I was smiling and my wife asked me why I was smiling. Finally I confessed: “I have come to the conclusion that I do not want every day to go my way. It would be very boring.”

“You know,” he said very seriously, “I think you have something in there.”

Therefore, our house is divided into two sections.

The only section is my wife, where everything goes the way she wants it, and I’m happy.

The other section is me, where everything doesn’t go my way, and my wife is happy.

I can’t believe I discovered the formula for both of us to be happy under the same roof. Why did it take me so long to realize this?

I couldn’t help but think of one of my favorite scriptures. “Will two be together, unless they agree?” (Amos 3: 3).

On this, my wife and I are in complete agreement.