Boundaries: No One Is Above An Affair. Editor’s Note: Today’s post is by Anne Wilson! She tweets at @annemwilson and blogs here. I have to admit, I cringed a little bit reading this.

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I’m bad with boundaries. I want to trust everyone, love everyone, and think the best of everybody. But I also have seen firsthand boundaries have been conducive to growing MORE love and trust between my husband and I – and isn’t that how it should be? Anne’s post is by no means a list of rules for you to follow, but rather her being open and honest with what she has personally chosen. I encourage you to write down your own little list, for you.

I asked her to mentor me and she gladly accepted. So, we met once a month at Starbucks halfway between my home and hers and got to talking, growing, and laughing. She got a little bit of a nervous look and said,“Did you drive together?”To which I casually and confusingly replied, “Well, yes, it was over an hour away, so it would’ve been silly to drive by ourselves.”“Were you the only ones in the car?”“Um, yes. The speech about boundaries in dating, work relationships, and marriage. I would’ve liked to think that I was privy to boundaries. I didn’t hang out with married men or ask them personal questions about their lives. I had no desire for any of the men I worked with, nor did I seek their interest.

The very thought of a romantic relationship with any of them made me feel nauseous. So why was I getting a speech like I’m the other woman? Because although I my intentions were pure, no one wakes up to an affair. It is a slow process of boundary- less decisions. And so, as a single woman, here are some boundaries I adopted: Don’t ride alone in the car with a married man. Even though it’s innocent, car rides can be long and isolated.

Inside jokes are created and a deeper form of friendship comes through being alone together. If he’s married, there’s no need for him to have that kind of relationship with any woman except his wife. Don’t be in the office alone with a married man. If there’s only two of us left in the office, one of us needs to leave. Or ask another co- worker to stay. I know this creates an awkward dynamic at first, but once it’s the standard, it becomes second- nature.

Even if it’s only because of the pretense of what could be happening and definitely isn’t, it doesn’t matter. It’s worth it the safety- net. If someone who is married begins to complain to me about their spouse, end it immediately. Say it’s inappropriate and that it makes you uncomfortable. If I were to tell my 1. I listened to far too many wife- bashing stories that I now, as a wife, really regret listening to. Dating Singles Meet. They have plenty of male friends they can talk with, and if they don’t, they can find some.

Don’t text/IM with a married man unless his wife is present, or I know she could read everything I’m saying without questioning my integrity or intentions. Because my job lends me to work with more men than women, one of my “boundaries” is to intentionally befriend the wives of men I work with. Not in manipulation, but as a way of reassuring them and allowing them to feel safe and comfortable with me.

This actually quickly became a requirement when looking for a potential job. One of my internal “required” questions was, “Could I be friends with his wife?

Is she welcoming of me, or threatened by a female’s presence?” If the answer to the last question was yes, I committed to say no to the job. It’s not worth becoming the target of someone else’s insecurity, if I can help it. When my husband and I got married, the boundaries changed. As someone who grew up in the home of divorce, it’s entirely worth it. I know neither of my parents said “I do,” thinking someday they would live separately and drop their kids off at each other’s houses. None of these are 1. Commandments, or necessary for every couple on the planet, but for us, they are agreements we made for the sake of protecting and nurturing our marriage.

A wise person told me once that no one is above an affair. And I think they are right.

When we become invincible in our minds, we let lies seep in, ignore our intuition that quietly says, “mayday!” and excuse it for self- consciousness. If my heart skips a couple of negative beats before making a decision, that’s the Divine telling me to run. Or the Word becoming flesh in my subconscious. Or the Holy Spirit.

All of those are viable options. And so, as a married person, here are some of our boundaries: No communication with exes, from any stage of life. The heart can be an absolute fool.

What happens when you and your spouse are in an argument that’s going on days, you feel under- appreciated and an ex tells you how beautiful and wonderful you are? Only a few more steps into an affair. How many stories have you heard/seen about people who reconnected via Facebook and left their spouse?

I’ve heard too many. I doubt any of them were planning to end up in affairs. Never ride alone in the car with someone of the opposite sex. Again, this can be the starting place for an isolated relationship with a man other than my husband. Driving in the car isn’t the danger – rather the togetherness a long car ride can bring. For that matter, the same principle applies–don’t be at work alone with a male co- worker, or vice versa.

Scratch that–if you are married, just don’t hang out by yourself with someone of the opposite sex. When it comes to friendships, if you’re a woman, be friends with women. I’m not saying you can’t have male friends.

But please don’t be one of the girls that say, “I just can’t get along with women.” Do you know that means you are probably the problem in that equation? I have no doubts that women have hurt you and been cruel. But I also know a lot of great women who encourage and strengthen. So don’t stop at the “I don’t like women,” door; push beyond it and seek out deep, meaningful friendships with other women. Try very hard not to put down (even in a joking way) our spouse around other people. My friend says it this way–when she was pregnant, one of her husband’s co- workers asked, “So, is your wife getting really moody and hard to deal with as her pregnancy ticks on?” Even though in other settings they could all laugh and poke fun at the ridiculousness, her husband gave a short, “Nope, we’re just thankful she’s been able to carry her this long.” I really respect that.

Don’t go to bed without saying I’m sorry and/or I love you. In our 2 and 1/2 years of marriage, we’ve had our minor blow- outs. Anyone can tell you–I’m a difficult person (and I’m guessing you are, too!) and so I have my fair share of life to apologize for. Humility and forgiveness has paved such an open dialogue and space for apology.

Love each other like crazy. Don’t withhold love, apology, or grace. If you’re thinking by now that I have surely lost my mind, that I wear jeans up to my bra, and that I haven’t had my hair styled since 1. I’m actually kind of cool. I teeter on the edge of hip (can you be hip and use the word “teeter?”). And would you know it?

I want a healthy marriage. I wish healthy marriages were written about, talked about, filmed around. They’re boring! Who wants to read a novel about my boundary- filled, healthy life? About a couple making a meal together at night in their home, planning the month’s budget, investing their lives in their jobs, friends, Church, and community?

You’re already falling asleep. But that’s because it’s only boring to the outsider. On the inside, it’s freeing and incredible. Mumford & Sons sings it like this (told you I’m cool): Love, it will not betray you, dismay or enslave you, it will set you free Be more like the man you were made to be There is a design, an alignment, a cry At my heart you see The beauty of love as it was made to be(Sigh No More, Mumford & Sons)Love sets us free.

Free to laugh, cry, dream, give, and receive. In a paranoid, nervous relationship, you are placed in a hopeless cage of anxiety and guilt. Boundaries set you free to love your spouse in a way you can never love anyone else. Trust, loyalty, and promise win out over the flesh.

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