Tonight I decided that I’d be a good husband for once. Not that good, not sensitive or empathetic, or even generous, but I greeted her with a peck on the cheek, a cup of tea and a bubbling stew.
She was, to be honest, a little nonplussed. I may, over the years, have deviated a bit from the romantic ideal of husbandry. As Julia has pointed out, when she took me for better or worse, richer for poorer and in sickness and in health, she had been thinking of them as a list of options rather than a blueprint for the future.
I’ve been sitting by the TV being sociable this evening, though feeling a bit twitchy at times when I’ve wanted the inetrnet to look something up.
However, it’s character forming when you don’t get what you want, so it’s done me good tonight.
Julia muttered something about forming a lot of character over the last thirty years.
At that point I made her a nice milky coffee and sneaked off to blog.
The pictures are Irish 50 p pieces – they only had the two designs – normal and the 1988 commemorative for the Dublin millennium. They didn’t do the small size 50p because they went to the Euro instead. And they don’t have a rash of cheap and nasty commemoratives like us because they have some vestige of self-respect.
They have nothing to do with me being a good husband but it’s the 50th anniversary of the 50p coin and these were the easiest pictures to access.
That sounded like exemplary conduct to me. I expect that Julia is so overcome by admiration for you that she is sometimes lost for words to properly express it.
It would be nice to think so. I will concentrate on that thought.
Yes, I loved the Julia comment as well. Bravo to you, my friend, for treating her well. Interesting shape to the coins.
The world’s first coin of that shape – an equilateral-curve heptagon, or Reuleaux polygon, a curve of constant width, meaning that the diameter is constant across any bisection. I cut and pasted that. 🙂 All you need to know is that it’s a seven sided coin that rolls down coin chutes in vending machines. 🙂
Goodness me – 50 years – so made before decimalisation ready for release. I like Julia’s take on marriage
🙂 Decimalisation was so long ago, but I can still work out in pre-decimal when I need to. It was beaten into me at school.
I remember thinking all prices would be rounded up – and so they were
That’s not decimalisation – that’s cynicism. 🙂
Hmmm… I am not sure it was a milky coffee she was hoping for when she mentioned something about forming a lot of character over the past 30 years. But then again, I am sure after 30 years, she knows you quite well. You started the evening so well with a peck on the cheek, a cup of tea, and stew. I can imagine you sitting at the TV trying to find something to talk about while wanting to do something else. Been there, done that… Good to be in a great marriage where you both know what the other wants and are appreciative of each other’s needs. So many times young couples smother each other, or one wants more than the other wants to give. Or they “test” each other. One does something to see the reaction of the other, and if it isn’t satisfactory, they complain. Nothing beats a great mature relationship that has stood the test of time. Here’s to you!
Thank you. For me, the foundation of our marriage is that Julia has low standards in men and I have rarely disappointed her. 🙂
Hmmm… What if she doesn’t look at it that way? Maybe she thinks you are a great guy. 🙂
She might. But I won’t ask her, just in case…
I’m not sure any of us gets what we want…
I think there was a popular song, I forget who wrote it, saying something like “You can’t always get what you want, but you can get what you need.” 🙂
The Rolling Stones! Great song.
Correct on both counts! 🙂
🙂 Indeed there was. It is now going round in my head. 🙂
Yes, sometimes we get something better than we thought of.
IT is always a possibility. 🙂
That is true. The trick is to want what you get. 🙂
Oh, too funny! I expect Julia’s pithy take on marriage expresses the sentiment of many wives. 😉
I’m sure it does. 🙂