• Me: (arrives home at 11-ish p.m. to eat supper before heading back to the office)
  • Robert: (glancing up from the T.V.) How was rehearsal?
  • Me: Rehearsal was good. I’m loving the show. But, I’m mired in peripherals.
  • Robert:  Oh? (eyes back on his WWII documentary)
  • Me: My desk work makes me feel like I’m on the beach at Dunkirk, y’know?

 

  • Robert: (pressing the pause button) Really?

 

  • Me: Any sign of relief — RAF planes fighting the Luftwaffe, or even a little army-requisitioned fishing boat on the horizon — would offer enough glimpse of hope to get me through.
  • Robert: (intrigued) Hmmmm…
  • Me: Or… (dramatically with flailing gestures) perhaps I’m the guy dug into a trench on the outskirts, fighting off Nazis until the last man drops, and buying time for those poor shrapnel-ridden blokes down on the beach. I know I won’t survive, but others might so I’m willing to make the sacrifice.
  • Robert: Okaaaaayyyy…. (pondering)
  • Me: Really, what it all boils down to is this: I’ve got a big job, and I’m gonna be at it for a long time. I’d just like to know if I’m going to be rescued, or if this is really just a suicide mission.
  • Robert: Wow. Those are some major peripherals.
  • Me: You have no idea…
It’s important to describe one’s day in terms that will grab your spouse’s attention.