Therapist is one of many husband roles

My relatives had an elegant party. I got dressed up and went over.

I let myself into the house and showed up in the kitchen, where my cousin-in-law, Dave, looked startled to see me and was speechless for one second. I know I arrived early so he wasn’t expecting people.

L to R: My husband Claus, my cousin Henrie, me, her husband Dave- at said party.

Then he said, “Diane! I didn’t recognize you!,” laughed, and gave me a hug. Dave then said some iteration of that phrase another five or so times. 

“I look that different?” I quizzed. I last saw him 18 months ago.

“You do!” he remarked, but wasn’t sure what it was. Maybe that my hair’s grown longer. I just haven’t cut it.

It’s not a strategy on my part to have a certain length of hair. I’m unemployed and I can do what I want with it.

With my friend Christian.

I did, however, also gain weight, and was feeling really tired for months in the body clock transition from early mornings to regular life. So his comment made me self-conscious after a while. 

Dave’s so sweet and he realized this, too, so he made some course correction in the form of, “Well, I invited my regular old cousin, not some movie star! Ha ha!”

Many a husband, I’m sure, has been pressed into service as a therapist, as mine was the following day. “Do I look that different?” I queried Claus. 

Here is proof that he has been married long enough to come up with a voluminous variety of placations:

“Of course not.”

“You looked beautiful.”

“No, you don’t look larger.”

“No, you don’t look tired.”

“You looked fine. No, fine means wonderful.”

“He’s just used to seeing you dressed down at the pool, and last night you had all that fancy makeup and stuff.”

So we went with that and I let us drop it.

Pretty good, Husband. He’s got a future in behavioral therapy if he should tire of the world of business.

Author(s) on this Post

Diane Ako

Peace of mind By Diane Ako I like to reflect on life. Sometimes it’s philosophically. Sometimes it’s humorously. For all its beauty, life is far too difficult a journey to take alone. You need the support and connection with others to help carry you along the way. Writing brings me that connection– within and without. It clarifies my thoughts and feelings. It helps me reach out to others for advice, wisdom, or feedback. Your thoughts become your actions. Your actions become you. A wise yogi- Patanjali- said, “Speak what is true. Speak what is pleasant.” Let’s speak of things pleasant to one another and seek some peace of mind along the way. ABOUT Diane Ako joined Hawaii: In Real Life in October 2016. She likes being part of a community of local bloggers – people who like writing and sharing, like she does. Ako is an anchor/ reporter at Island News (KITV4 – ABC) in Honolulu. She previously anchored and reported at KHON2 (FOX) and KHNL (NBC), and at stations in California, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania. She freelance writes for NMG Network's magazines. In between news jobs, in 2017, she launched and ran her own p.r. company, Diane Ako PR. From 2010-2014, she headed the public relations department at Halekulani Corporation, which oversees luxury resort Halekulani and boutique hotel Waikiki Parc. She’s been blogging since 2009 – before Hawaii: IRL, she wrote for The Honolulu Star-Advertiser, the state’s largest daily newspaper, where her stories garnered a dozen journalism awards and an Emmy nomination. Ako has a BA in Communications from Menlo College and an MA in Political Science from University of Hawaii at Manoa. She volunteers as a board member of the Honolulu Gay & Lesbian Cultural Foundation, a Shinto shrine maiden at Daijingyu Temple, a citizen-scientist studying shrimp, and a yoga teacher at a senior center.

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One thought on “Therapist is one of many husband roles

  • January 30, 2017 at 10:14 am
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    I’m sorry to have forced Claus into the role of therapist. That was no “course correction.” I really was speechless and I really did wonder who the hell invited a movie star to my party.

    Reply

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