Lessons The Story of Johnny Lingo and an 8 Cow Wife Can Teach Us About Our Relationship With Our Spouse

Johnny Lingo and the 8 Cow Wife is a fictional story by Patricia McGeir. I will not share the full story here, but rather give you a brief recap of the basic story.

On an island in the Pacific lived a woman name Sarita (in some versions her name is Mahana) who all the other Islanders agreed was quite plain and lacked any of the social graces expected of women on this island. She was (in the eyes of the Islanders and even her own father) not likely to marry because she was a woman without worth.

Then one day a man named Johnny Lingo appeared and offered her father the unheard sum of 8 cows to marry Sarita. The Islanders were shocked because no one had ever paid more than 5 or 6 cows for a wife – not even for the most valuable women of the island!

Johnny, however, paid the 8 cows and took his new wife home to his own island. Months later a visitor to the islands heard the story of Johnny Lingo and his 8 cow wife and decided to visit the couple to find out why Johnny would pay such a high price for a woman viewed as having little or no value. To his surprise he met Sarita and found her to be stunningly beautiful and one of the most graceful women he had ever seen.

Confused, he asked Johnny why his wife seemed to be so different than the other island woman had described to him. Johnny’s answer was simple: the change was because she was an 8 cow wife now.

While the story may be fictional, it can teach us valuable lessons about how we should view and treat our spouse. Here are the 5 lessons that can be gleaned from this story.

1. Look Beyond the Outside. 

All too often we meet someone and find ourselves attracted to their superficial looks, or worse, dismiss someone because they are not “our type” on the outside. Johnny Lingo looked past what Sarita looked like on the outside and found the true beauty that was in her heart and character. When Sarita realized that Johnny saw her real beauty she became more beautiful because she began seeing herself through his eyes.

2. Don’t View Your Spouse Through the Eyes of Others.

Never view your spouse or potential spouse through the eyes of others. Take the time to get to know someone based on your own knowledge. In addition, don’t allow other’s opinion of your spouse to color your own opinion.

3. Value Your Spouse and Your Relationship.

When you value your spouse and your relationship and show that you value what you have, your spouse will reciprocate. They will also show they value you and your relationship because they will feel confident and secure in doing so.

4. Your Actions Have the Power to Uplift or Downgrade Your Spouse.

Your actions and your words towards and about your spouse have the power to lift up or deflate your spouse. Because of Johnny Lingo’s actions in paying 8 cows for his future wife, he lifted her up and raised her self-esteem so she felt secure in letting her inner light show.

5. When You Show the World You Value Your Spouse Others Will See the Value Too.

When you show the world that you value your spouse, others will see the value in your relationship and their own as well. We lead by example, and as Johnny Lingo teaches us, the example we set is noted by others and makes others see the benefits of following your example.

The Story of Johnny Lingo teaches that we chose our spouse because we saw special qualities in them that we value. Showing how much we value our spouse, their qualities, and the relationship you have built together creates a sense of security in which both parties can feel free to be themselves and love one another openly – strengthening your bond and making for a happier and more satisfying life together.

Here’s to Making Yours an 8 Cow Relationship!