Several years ago, Bob and I attended a marriage seminar. One of the speakers gave an analogy about how differently men and women compartmentalize their emotions. He likened our brains to various boxes in a closet.

He claimed men have a much easier time keeping things in their proper box, and will usually only take down one box at a time. Women however, often have several boxes down at the same time, and as a result their contents intermingle and it takes a while to sort them out and put them away.

As in every marriage (those of us who are honest, anyway), sometimes the Fight box is brought down. The man only brings the Fight box down, but the woman brings down a few others with it, possibly the Old Hurts box.

When it's time to put the Fight box away, it takes the woman longer, because she has to pack up more than one box. Not the man. Often times, even as he's putting away the Fight box, he spots the Sex box. The man always makes sure that the Sex box is his most visible and accessible box.  The woman is appalled when she sees him bringing it down. Now, not only does he have to put the Sex box away, he has to bring the Fight box back down.

I thought it was hilarious. But I also thought what a gift it is to be able to compartmentalize. I think everyone would be a bit happier if they were better at this. Most people have way too many boxes down at the same time. I often think this at work. Last winter I was on a gorgeous West Palm Beach layover. Our pick up wasn't until 7 p.m., the weather was beautiful and I kept thanking God for the gift of having a whole day to myself, to bask in the sunshine, and get paid for it!

Not so for the person I was flying with. He was angry with the company and he never put his Bitterness Box away. Its contents oozed into every aspect of our trip. My guess is he never puts it away.

I encounter this with passengers too. Could someone really let it ruin their day because they didn't get their choice of salad or sandwich or that the bin above their seat was full? No, at the very least, they've brought along their Self-Absorbed box.

I know there are difficult boxes in everyone's closet. There are Hurt Feelings boxes, Grief boxes, Broken Relationship boxes, and sometimes it helps to take them down and share the contents with others. I get that.

But I think there are times when we would be better off just leaving some of the boxes up in the closet, and not let them spill into every other aspect of our life.

The Bitterness box makes it hard to enjoy the Laughter and Gratitude box, and those are two of my favorites. In fact, I think of all the boxes in my closet, that the Gratitude box is the most helpful, that's the box I need to have most visible and accessible, especially after I've delved into my Self-Pity box.

 I do so believe gratitude is the key to contentment! I think the most powerful habit we could ever develop would be a constant whispering of thanks to God. I certainly haven't mastered it, but I sure hope to some day.