How Long Should One Stay Mad at Their Spouse?

What is the appropriate length of time to stay angry at your spouse? 24 hours, 48, 2?

Yesterday I started receiving emails and phone calls congratulating me on winning the Florence Nightingale award. I thought it was a bit strange because I was awarded the honor in April. One of the messages mentioned that there was an article written about me in The Christ Hospital news letter. Remembering that I was interviewed in May, this made complete sense and was anxious to read what was written. People received the letter on Tuesday and I went on a search for Tuesdays mail; no evidence of an important article of mail was found. This is not an uncommon event in my home. I live with a very organized and clean man. Most of the time it is a huge positive to have a husband that picks things up and sanitizes the kitchen on a daily basis, however, if you are expecting something of worth in the mail you better beat him to the mailbox. 90% of our mail is thrown into the recycling bin immediately after its rescue from the mailbox. Realizing this was probably the case, I searched the bin and to my dismay realized the trash had been picked up that morning. Rang Bryan on the phone and he swore that he did not throw anything away (this happens daily) and that we must not of received it yet. No big deal, he was probably right and I put it out of my mind.

Returning home that evening Bryan sheepishly said "Found the article, its on the kitchen counter." Great, I find the article wet, scrunched, ripped, with a piece of chewed gum on top. I was not happy. Reading the article reminded me of the interview question asked "Who is the biggest influence in your life?" With out hesitation I said Bryan, and went on to praise him for everything under the moon. They wrote a kind article on Bryan and I and my irritation grew with every word. Yes, Bryan is wonderful, except for he throws away important information and documents.

Bryan said, "Maybe we can get a new copy." "I'm sure we can, did you read what I wrote said about you?" Bryan's face dropped and it was apparent he had not even read the article. Okay, I was done; dog house time! So back to my original question, what is a good length of time to stay angry? Its been about 18 hours since the incident and I am miserable, irritated with myself and writing a blog instead of doing something worth while. The door bell just rang and my overly clean husband sent me beautiful roses. No apology note, but a note simply stating "I love you." I am blessed, loved and stupid. The Christ Hospital sent me a PDF of the article along with a several hard copies. The right amount of time to be mad was probably 5 minutes. Nothing important was lost that couldn't be recovered, except 18 hours.

Love you Bryan even though you are freakishly clean!!