I was spending the afternoon with some girlfriends recently, when one friend and I were discussing a mud run that our husbands did together. She said that her husband was impressed with how fast my husband was.

I took this as an opportunity to brag about my husband a bit. I admitted, that after so many years, and three kids, and an all around busy life, I had forgotten how athletic he is. It makes me blush to see him now that he has rededicated himself to his athletic hobbies and be reminded what a beast he is! I love it! I can't believe I have ever been so distracted that I didn't take notice of how incredible he is.

We all smiled and laughed and move on with our conversation.

A few weeks later, my very best friend, who was also present, and is also pretty red pill herself (although I doubt she knows that term) brought the conversation back up. She and I know each other independently of the group we were with, and I had only just introduced her to many of these women.

She said that when I bragged about my husband it completely caught her off guard because she's so used to being around groups of women who are complaining about or just being generally condescending about the men in their lives. It's almost unacceptable to brag about how awesome your husband is, because husband bashing serves as a type of sick female bonding. That afternoon made her rethink how she talks about her own husband and how she's going to respond when the women around her start the eye rolling and griping about their own husbands.

I just wanted to share this experience with everyone. It reinforced my own good behavior, which felt pretty good, but I was also glad to to be a positive influence in how someone I love thinks about their own relationship. I also wanted to remind everyone that when you approach your relationship from a place of gratitude and appreciation it shows up not just with your SO, but with everyone you interact with!

Edited to add: Also, who you choose to spend your time with is a big influence on your own attitudes! Choose your friends wisely.