A perspective on marriage…divorce…and marriage…
AUGUST 17, 2010
By Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret
“So how is your wedding planning going?” My co-worker with the mullet asked me the other day.
“Oh, well, you know. It’s going just fine. Not too stressful, pretty easy,” I reply.
“Easy! Weelll! That’s good. You got your date and everything?”
“Yep. November this year.”
“November? Well that will be different.”
“…” I wasn’t quite sure how to respond.
“Well, I will be divorced by August hopefully. And, I cannot wait, I will be celebrating!” she replied.
“….Well that’s…great. Good for you?” And then I just turned away and pretended to be busy.
(In case you’re wondering, this blog is about marriage and tact.)
I do not know if other ladies sporting a diamond ring on the left hand have experienced this much, but for me, it is almost a daily, at least weekly, occurrence. Perhaps it is the nature of my job–meeting strangers, gesturing with my left hand to this bank of elevators or that hallway (I’m a front desk girl, remember?). But for some reason when people see the ring on my finger they feel this pressing, very urgent need to comment on it.
So it happened again: men admitting in a public forum to expecting a wife to be a mom. Last time it was Dr. Oz, this time it’s authors Chip and Dan Heath in their book Switch.
Switch is a book about motivating people to change — in corporate, social, community, or personal settings. I was reading along, minding my own business, enjoying the read until BLAM! I got to the part about checklists.
The Heath Brothers, apparently living in a world where husbands have no personal accountability, said if you’re frustrated because your husband can’t remember to pick up the dry cleaning, leave him a note in the car to remind him.
What the frick, guys? What world do you live in? If my husband can’t remember to pick up the darn dry cleaning he should write his own darn note to himself. Really, Chip and Dan, take some responsibility. Wives have enough to do on their own without micromanaging their husbands. Geez.
Maybe it’s time to Switch to taking responsibility for your own to do list.
Nice Wifey 