My family came over this past weekend and after they left, I put away the food and carefully separated the dishes according to those that could go into the dishwasher and those that needed hand washing. My hubby expertly loads the dishwasher, but he is not to touch the china or crystal, which he breaks. He loves it when I use the china and crystal. Anyway, I left him to the dishwasher and collapsed in front of the TV to watch TCU beat Oregon State. At halftime, I hear, “Come and see this.” I found him in the dining room. On the table, arranged precisely by type in straight lines (he’s an engineer) is the crystal and china, along with every other hand washable item. They are clean. And whole. “You washed them?” “And I didn’t break or chip any,” he tells me before I can ask. I’m stunned, but grateful, and also beginning to feel a little guilty. And then he hands me a Man Day Pass. It’s a little ticket that says he’s exempt from “engaging in any and all unmanly activities” for twenty-four hours. He’s completely serious. Am I going to argue when he’s just spent a couple of hours cleaning up the kitchen? Not if I ever want him to do the dishes again.

So what did he do with his Man Day? He put up a new antenna (he’s a ham radio operator). It took him all day and although I don’t think it enhances the exterior of the house, I didn’t say anything except, “Don’t fall off the roof.”

Boyfriends, husbands, brothers, fathers, sons–what would the men in your life do with a Man Day Pass?