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An Apology to My Wife (About Tomatoes, Time, and Trust)

An Apology to My Wife (About Tomatoes, Time, and Trust)

An ordinary errand, a thousand small failures, and the apology nineteen years late.

Geoffrey Griffin
August 22, 2025

Focused Content

Hey Brother,

Today in The Focused Fool…

Focused Purpose
This week’s essay is not about tomatoes — it’s about how a simple request unraveled into an apology years overdue. What happens when your brain’s wiring keeps colliding with your marriage?

Focused Partners
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Focused Action
This month’s theme: Self Leadership
We’re laying the foundation for the man you’re becoming—one small, repeatable action at a time.

Focused Wonder
Spark connection with this question tonight:
If someone watched only the way I act when I’m frustrated, what kind of person would they think I am?

Focused Motion
A poem about what you want your boys to become.

Your story is already being written. Time to pick up the pen.

Focused Purpose

It was supposed to be simple.

She asked me to pick up tomatoes.

Instead, I turned a grocery run into an interrogation, then spent 20 minutes wandering a store I couldn’t process.

This essay isn’t really about tomatoes, though — it’s about the thousand small ways I’ve made things harder than they needed to be, and the apology nineteen years overdue.

Focused Partners

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Focused Action

Every month, The Focused Fool brings you a series of Focused Actions—practical, bite-sized steps designed to help you grow as a father, husband, and man. Each theme is broken down into 12 structured actions (3 per week for 4 weeks) that build on each other, helping you grow with clarity and purpose—one small win at a time.

These aren’t lofty goals or guilt trips. They’re simple, achievable habits designed to make you more consistent, more grounded, and more present.

This month’s theme: Self Leadership

Taking ownership of your own growth and modeling it for your family.

Self-leadership isn’t about waiting to be told what to do—it’s about choosing your direction, setting your own bar, and showing your family what growth looks like in real time.

This month, we’ll help you create a personal growth system you can return to again and again.

✅ Week 3 – Accountability: Show Your Work

Name the Wins

Action: Write down 3 small wins from the past week related to your personal growth.

Prompt: What do these wins reveal about the direction you're heading?

Focused Wonder

Focused questions designed to spark meaningful dialogue—whether at the dinner table, during a car ride, or at bedtime. Use these questions to build trust, curiosity, and laughter in your relationships.

If someone watched only the way I act when I’m frustrated, what kind of person would they think I am?