The ties that bind.........

My husband has many endearing qualities, but the one I love the most is his way of being so "rough" around the edges. He's like a little boy in that way - always getting dirty, always being mischievous, always slightly wrinkled and roughed up. Sure, he can clean up when he has to.......and that's when I giggle the most. The reason is, he almost NEVER wears a tie. And when, on the infrequent occasion he does don a tie (usually for a job interview or a presentation) he cannot, for the life of him, remember how to tie it. But being the resourceful guy he is, he's kept, over many years, an illustrated diagram of how to tie a tie. This piece of paper is rumpled and worn, but it saves the day every time he wears a tie. He keeps it stuffed in the bottom of his garment bag and pulls it out, following directions very carefully, when a tie is needed. And he usually gets it wrong. First, it's too short. Then it's too long. Then, the knot isn't tight enough, or the knot is too snug. But finally he gets it to pass as acceptable and he's good to go. I love that he's so casual that wearing a tie is a rarity. Thankfully his work in biotech practically begs for "business casual" because I just can't seem him at a "suit and tie" job. When he returns after his tie-wearing day, he can't loosen it fast enough and slip it off. Off comes the dress shirt, jacket and nice slacks. On goes an old triathlon t-shirt (likely splattered with the results of either his cooking or working on the truck), sweats and slippers. He's a little scruffy, my guy, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Who needs a tie?