“We could call in sick,” I tell the husband. He looks at me all adultlike. No, we cannot call in sick. There is the matter of civic duty, and guilt, and scoring brownie points with the principal. That’s when he evokes the rule. “When in doubt, do the positive,” he says. “Remember?” The positive is the active thing, never the inactive. Can’t decide whether you’re qualified for that new job? Just apply. Can’t decide whether to go on that first blind date after a divorce or sit home in your pajamas? Go on the date. More from Prevention: 9 Signs You’re Happier Than You Think My husband holds out his arm, says “Come on,” and pulls me like a slab of beef off the couch. I know he’s right. My mother always got this one right. The best part about the rule is that it invariably leads to surprises. I grumble the whole way there about panty hose in winter and static cling. At the dance the girls huddle, sharing tales of orthodontics while exposing their gums at each other. The boys wear itchy ties and grimaces. “Oh, for heaven’s sake,” my husband says. He pulls me onto the dance floor, twirls me to the growls of Lady Gaga. The kids are laughing, but then my husband does his Travolta spin, so I do a little hustle move, and soon the girls and some of the boys are out here with us, and the silliness of this night becomes a kind of freedom for us all. More from Prevention: 5 Things Happy Women Do The DJ “brings it down” to “Just the Way You Are,” and for the first time in more years than I care to count, I am dancing with my husband on Valentine’s Day, cheek to cheek. When in doubt, dance. (Bonus: your butt will thank you, too.) Jeanne Marie Laska is the author of six books, including Hidden America (Putnam, 2012), and serves as director of the writing program at the University of Pittsburgh. She lives on a horse farm in Pennsylvania with her husband and two children.
