Marital Advice from a Pro

Shortly before we got married, John and I had an interview with our Stake President to give us the final thumbs-up for the wedding. After telling some fun stories, he got a very serious look on his face. He warned us that the advice he was about to give was critical in creating a happy marriage. We both leaned forward on our seats to hear his precious words. "John, listen to your wife and trust her fashion advice. If she says to change something you're wearing, do it. Women just know these things, and men, well, men do not. Listen to her when you are deciding what to wear."

We left his office with the advice affecting each of us differently. I was floored! And so excited! Out of all the things to tell us about marital secrets, that was what he wanted to impart to us as being important! John, however, disregarded the advice as the rantings of a crazy man. It has been funny (I use that term veeeeery loosely) to see how his clothing plays a part in our marriage.

When we started dated, John was wearing jeans he had worn out in high school. One size too small. And very faded. His t-shirts were all old and raggedy and were usually too short around the arms and belly. Fortunately for him, dating me meant a total wardrobe makeover, in a good way. I didn't want to change him or make him into something he wasn't. I simply wanted to enhance what was already there! Within a few months, John had a lot of new clothes that I was proud of him wearing. He even got a few pairs of new shoes, even though it's like pulling teeth to get him to wear them. He is all about comfort and refuses to give up his old high-top sneakers that look terrible even in their best showing.

This morning, my heart went pitter-pat when he got dressed for a special meeting he had arranged for class. Utilizing the wonderful selection in his closet, John put on his Calvin Klein khakis (good for making him look tan because they are even whiter than him!), his Banana Republic polo shirt, and his Cole Haan leather loafers. I only mention the brand names because they are all known for looking good while being comfortable. John even posed to "give out the vibe" like Jim Carey in Dumb and Dumber. I think he looks so handsome, and I didn't hesitate to tell him so about a hundred times before he left this morning! Now if I could just figure out how to throw away those old sneakers without being served divorce papers in the process, I think we would be that much closer to following our Stake President's hallowed advice of following the wife's intuition for fashion.