Lessons in Professionalism

July 2, 2008

As with any new business, things are slow at Jared's office these days. He's landed one new patient this week and we think that's unbelievably stellar, so please don't tell us otherwise.

This morning, as Jared was getting ready for work, he mentioned that he has no patients on his schedule today. So instead of doing clinical, back-cracking kinds of things, he's planning on doing some man things around the office. You know--painting, drilling, screw-driving.

"Hey Amy," he said. "Since I'm not seeing any patients today, do I have to dress fancy?"

"Uhhhhhmmmm. Probably not," I replied. "But you should still look presentable. You know, in case people walk in to ask you a bunch of questions or something."

"Okay. So like jeans and a t-shirt and a Red Sox hat would be acceptable?"

"No. Nice jeans, and a button-down shirt, brown shoes, a brown belt, and some product in your hair would be acceptable."

Three minutes later my husband walked out of the bedroom wearing blue athletic shorts, brown shoes, and the free orange t-shirt that was previously featured in this post. In Jared's defense I will admit that his hair was very nicely tussled with the perfect amount of spray gel.

After some serious resistance, I finally managed to make Jared look presentable and sent him on his way with a turkey sandwich, a 'go-get-em' slap on the ass, and a clear reminder that he "would be totally lost without me!"

And it's true, he would be lost without me--and that's exactly why I took the liberty of clapping my sandy running shoes over his side of the bed when he had the audacity to mock me yesterday afternoon. Just a little reminder, ya know?

I'd like to thank my sister, the professional life coach, for her creative (and effective!) suggestion to deal with a stressful marital moment.

If you're interested in my sister's professional services, because she really is a life coach, drop me an email and I'll be happy send you the details--when I'm supposed to be working.