09/09/2026
I have finally discovered that some of my marriage problems may actually be the fault of my English teachers in China. 😂
Growing up in China, we were taught a very useful English exam technique:
When you see the word BUT, pay attention.
Because whatever comes after BUT is usually the REAL point.
Great advice for passing English exams.
Possibly terrible advice for marriage. 🤣
Fast forward 30 years…
My husband says:
You are amazing. You have done so much today. I really appreciate everything you do… BUT…
And somewhere deep inside my brain, my old English exam training immediately kicks in:
❌ Everything before BUT = background information
❌ Probably designed to distract me
✅ Everything after BUT = THE ANSWER
My husband absolutely hates this. 😂
He keeps telling me:
Why do you completely ignore everything I said BEFORE the BUT?!
Well… blame my education. I was trained this way. 🤣
The funny thing is that working in bookkeeping and tax has taught me exactly the opposite lesson.
You cannot look at one number and assume you know the whole story.
A number without context can tell you the completely wrong story.
Behind that number might be a transaction, a timing difference, a business decision or sometimes a very human story.
That is something I really enjoy about what I do at Shoebox Bookkeeping and Tax.
It is not just about entering numbers.
It is about understanding what is happening behind them and helping business owners see the bigger picture.
So after all these years, bookkeeping is slowly teaching me to consider the full story…
Now I just need to remember to apply the same rule when my husband says BUT. 😂❤️