My husband Jim only hears every seventh word I say.

Me: “At the light turn right. Turn right. At the light turn right.” … “Turn RIGHT.” (Last minute swerve to the right.)

I do think he tries to hear me; that is, when I remind him to listen. Simple instructions like how to run the washing machine or make salad dressing, or what time to pick up Carly, etc. get missed. A long time ago I made peace with this. I had made peace with picking up shoes in the center of the foyer and closing drawers left open in the kitchen. It is much less stressful to bend and lift or shut than it is to holler.

Now, Jim has an Apple Watch. Was one of the first to buy it. Loves it! Couldn’t imagine life without it. (Does it pick up shoes, I wonder?) But his comprehension of text messages has dipped from an all time high of every-fifth-word to complete ignorance of secondary concepts.

Me (text): “Great job interview this morning. Long commute. Can’t do it.” …

I received the largest eye-winking emoticon I had ever seen. That seemed rather harsh. Here I am trying to find a job within a reasonable driving distance while he could go to Timbuktu for career advancement. I will take care of carting Carly to and fro. I’m not complaining about it: my choice. However, don’t wink at me. Bastard!

Clearly, the long commute part of my text got lost in the cloud. Again: better to endure and smile than to rant.

…

😉