The mid-century stand-up comedian, Henny Youngman explained his joke, “Take my wife (comedic pause) please,” as a misinterpretation. He once took his wife to a show and asked the usher to escort his wife to her seat. However, the usher thought it was a joke and laughed, after which Youngman used the line so often that it became synonymous with him. I don’t know, maybe the explanation was true, or perhaps he was trying to appease his wife. Regardless, it doesn’t help me because there’s no explaining away my wife jokes. It’s the origin of I think I’m funny, and it gets me in trouble all the time.
Take My Wife, Please
She’s a Saint
My wife Cathi is a saint in so many ways, one of which is putting up with my inappropriate sense of humor for more than 30 years. I hesitate to tell you some of the horrible jokes I thought were funny. So, please don’t hate me. I know better (mostly) now.
I’ll start with the worst. Cathi is my third wife. It took me three tries to find someone who could tolerate me. When we had only been married a year or two, I introduced her as my future third ex-wife. Sigh. I know, I know, it’s horrible, and it’s not funny. I don’t know how she put up with me.
30 Years and Going
I told people I’d been married thirty years, and when they congratulated me, I’d say yea, that’s not bad. It took me three wives to add up to 30 years, but who’s counting? Sigh again.
My first wedding proposal was, “You’re what!?” We had a daughter seven months later,
On the day of my second wedding, I told my soon-to-be wife, “You know we should cherish this moment because we’re only going to do this three or four times in our entire life!” I couldn’t make this up. That marriage lasted two years.
Blessed
I am truly blessed to find my soulmate, my BFF Cathi, and even more so that she stuck with me despite my adolescent sense of humor. And to prove I’ve matured, I’m not ending this story with a joke!
How Can I Help You?
I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me.
Does your business have a management training plan? Businesses and universities use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook, a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. I’m also available to conduct training.
