Jazz Hands!!!

It’s Friday!  Welcome to ‘The Chronicles of a Reluctant Housewife’ where I document my love/hate relationship with my current occupation.

I have noticed a trend lately of wives offering advice about being a good wife.  This makes me uncomfortable.  Don’t get me wrong, I love hearing wifey/marriage stories.  I don’t always relate to them, but I do love reading them.  Where I get uncomfortable is when a story is prefaced (or concluded) with statements like, “…this/that is what makes me the best wife.”

I’m not denying that the writer probably is the best wife to her husband, but this kind of writing lends itself to a ‘I’m doing right, you’re doing it wrong’ type reading.  Maybe that’s just me.  It doesn’t help that many of these stories come from women married for less than five years.  I don’t know, I think you are still a bit of a newlywed at that point.  Maybe you have been together for the better part of a decade before you got married, but still. 

That being said, let me relate a story about what makes our marriage work.  This is in no way a prescription as I truly believe that no one knows what makes a marriage tick except the people in it.  Case in point, my parents.  I have a feeling that their marriage is very different from mine.  It kind of has to be as they have 29 years on us.  Regardless, I have no idea what goes on there but it seems to work.  However, that doesn’t mean I am taking notes.

Moving on.

A key characteristic in our marriage is silliness.  This may be because I have a very stubborn silliness streak, but nonetheless.  This is not scheduled silliness.  It just kind of happens.  As the best silliness does.  Again, case in point, our impromptu silent dance-off on public transportation last night.  I’m not sure how it all started, but the highlights were some serious strutting on an Underground platform.  I won’t lie, there was definitely some ‘step-ball-changes’ and maybe even a few ‘jazz hands’ and not a little hip shaking.  It continued onto the bus and the walk home from the bus stop. 

It abruptly stopped when I was almost run down by a scooter without its lights on.  ‘Run down’ might be a little dramatic.  It was a scooter after all. 

All this silliness can come at a cost.  It took extra long to get home with all the dance ‘break outs’ and not to mention the earlier after-work drinks.  The dinner I planned was not going to happen, but I magically procured some delicious Chinese from the take-away on the corner. 

…and that’s what makes me a great wife!!!