It seems like I have been trying to pin my husband down on some subject or another for as long as I have known him. That has added up to 25 years or more now.

No matter what I asked him about something, what was his opinion about it, how did he feel, I could never get a “Yes” or a “No” out of him.

Even a simple question like did he like chicken, or salad, or did he prefer ranch or blue cheese dressing, do you think I could get a plain and simple answer from him? No, it would be “not too bad” or “I’ll eat anything” or “it really doesn’t matter to me.” On more serious questions like, “what do you think?” or “what color car should we buy?”, do you think I could get an unequivocal answer?

No way! Over the years I learned to adjust for it.  If he didn’t say “no”, that he didn’t like something, then I could just go ahead and do what I wanted, I reasoned. Most of the time it worked because I could more or less tell what he was saying by his actions, not his words.

So  basically we have pretty much been doing what I wanted! That ought to be every wife’s dream, right?  After years of trying to pin him down on his likes and dislikes I have finally come to a more reasonable conclusion.

My husband is really a diplomat. He looks at every side of everything and tries to pull them together. I think he has really missed his calling. A true diplomat is very important in our world. He is the one who pulls people and countries together. He keeps them from going to war with each other. Our families and our country are much safer when we have good honest diplomats who can work for the betterment of all.

Having decided to look at all of this in a completely new direction I can now smile to myself and realize anew I have the perfect husband. After all, didn’t I tell you he never says “No” to me?

Bob Rider, everyone’s friend, a great man to enjoy life with, and an excellent diplomat! Who could ask for anything more?