My mistake was allowing her mood to overly influence me. I was frustrated because she wasn't having a good time at the ballroom venue.
We talked somewhat about the evening, but the focus was on me. It was about how my behavior made her evening more difficult, and my failures throughout the evening. I gave myself space from the R, took the dog for a walk, and went to bed on-time. I need to work on not being reactive to her moods, allowing things to be imperfect, and going with the flow of events, even when they're unpleasant. I'm working on it. I go to church weekly, and read religious books to help me find the right state of mind, so that I don't go back to old patterns.
CL
CL, I disagree. Yes, there are times when that is good advice, and those of us who are "sensitive types" have to constantly work on that. And there are SOME situations with your wife where yeah, it's a question of not letting her mood affect you.
However, it's not just her MOODS, in my opinion -- it's her BEHAVIOR -- toward YOU -- when she is IN one of her moods. Much of it is what I call "crap behavior" (CB), and I think more than that they are TESTS, and that after some good successes in this area you're starting to fail them again.
I think you should try to make a distinction between her just being in a MOOD -- and mostly keeping that to herself (pouting, brooding, etc.) -- and her BEHAVIOR TOWARD YOU when she is in a mood (scolding, belittling you to others (like her mother), hurtful comments, etc.
