wild hawaiian shirt
I could make Lion wear this. It’s guaranteed to make his eyes roll.

As Lion reported, yesterday was a day of firsts. I was getting my feet wet with the new active control idea. I know I’ll be able to do a few things right away. Will I be 100% consistent? Nope. Do I want to be 100% consistent? Nope.

Yesterday at lunch, we were going to have the same thing. Soup and salad is an easy thing to order for two. Or is it? The waiter asked what kind of dressing for the salad. Ummm. I don’t know. Lion? Clearly I can’t make all the decisions. And I don’t want to.

Here I go with my own list of “shoulds”. Should I always order for him at restaurants? Should I decide he wants the lasagna rather than the linguini? Or should I see what he’d like to order, say the lasagna, and step in because the fish has fewer carbs/is better for him?

I have a problem with all or nothing. Lion craves consistency. Sorry. I’m not always going to order for him. When we’re in the decision phase, I usually ask if he’s made up his mind. We ask each other. Sometimes I’ll find something on the menu that he’s overlooked or vice versa.  I can see myself suggesting the fish over the lasagna. But telling him, or the waiter, that he’ll have the fish versus the lasagna is not in my sights. Not yet, at least.

As we were walking to lunch, we passed a store with racks of clothes on the sidewalk. A bright (Lion called it ugly) Hawaiian shirt caught my attention. Lion makes fun of Hawaiian shirts. I told him I could make him wear it or one like it. He rolled his eyes and made a noise. I asked if he’d rather wear a Hawaiian shirt or a pink shirt that says he’s been a bad boy and will be punished. Hmmm…. He had to think about that one for a few minutes. The Hawaiian shirt won. Even on the way out of the restaurant, he commented that an ugly Hawaiian shirt is better than a pink punishment shirt. In all fairness, not all Hawaiian shirts are bright or have flamingos like the one we saw yesterday. We also saw one that was black and had tasteful feathers on it.

discreet hawaiian shirt
Lion wouldn’t stand out so much in this Hawaiian shirt. That’s no fun.

I think having Lion wear a Hawaiian shirt is a little like having him wear panties. He knows why he’s wearing it, but no one else would. A discreet design work be suitable for work. Hell, where he works, a flamingo might be suitable for work. I’m not sure how well they’d go with his suspenders so that may be his saving grace. See that, Lion? Your hated suspenders might be good for something.

The one thing I decided I’d try on this trip is to assert myself more. There’s a kite store here. I love kites. I’ve never been very good at flying them. A few years ago, Lion bought one. I didn’t because I figure I’ll just crash it and ruin it. But the store has windsocks and other things that crazy RV people put out as decorations to make their campsites more “homey”. I think they’d be fun. Lion rolls his eyes.

I don’t know that I want a kite. I don’t know that I don’t want a kite. Even though it infuriates Lion sometimes, the way I shop is by scanning and if something jumps out at me I know I’ve found something worth looking at. Will I buy it? Not necessarily. I just don’t want to look through racks and racks of Hawaiian shirts, for example. If something grabs me I’ll look more closely. Yes, I have stood outside a store at a mall, scanning the store to decide if it’s even worth going in.

Anyway, Lion was looking at a kite in a bag. The kite store is usually pretty good at displaying its products. I noticed that the kite he was looking at was hanging up. It was massive. I think you’d need an anchor line to keep it from breaking away once it caught air. Lion said he’d never pay that much for a kite. It was an impressive kite. I told him he’d pay that much if I wanted him to buy it for me. I don’t, but if I did, he’d have to.

 

1 Comment

  1. Author

    Well played, Mrs Lion. My Mrs. also picks and chooses her assertiveness times. I think it keeps me in line and on my toes since I never know when she will decide to “boss.”

    It serves as a great reminder of our roles when she overrides me at unexpected moments.

    Your updates are wonderful, thank you both

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