Marriage Guide for Field Managers

It has taken a lot of time and frustration to figure out how to keep a marriage together, while travelling extensively for work. Here are some of the learnings that we have adopted to make things work. Please keep in mind that the spouse has to participate to make this work.

1. If I say I will leave work in 1/2 an hour, I'm lying whether I intended to or not.
2. If it looks like I control my schedule, remember that 1,000 other people are in charge. You will need to get them onboard to have dinner with me every night by 7pm. Get real, you won't have dinner with me every night, let alone by 7pm.
4. Living closer to my territory won't get me home earlier, but my boss appreciates that extra stuff I get done.
5. The great pay goes with the crappy hours and travel; remember to enjoy the nice house while you are waiting to guilt me out about the travel and hours.
6. I married you before I married my job, so please understand that polygamy is stressful, while remembering that you will always be my first.
7. With a job like this there is virtually no chance that I have time for an affair, so assume I am cheating on you with my job. Hate the job, not the worker.
8. In the end, I do the job because I like it, but I do you because I love you.
9. When all else fails, have a quarterly melt down that leads to make up sex. This ensures that we both get sex once a quarter.

If this guide is not helping create a sense of security in being a married field manager. Try being one or the other. After 19 years married and 6 in the field, we are really getting good at following the rules.