Journal of Best Practices

Two days after bombing this Aspie quiz, I stumbled upon The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome, and One Man’s Quest to Be a Better Husband by David Finch. The forces of the universe had been pushing me toward official diagnosis for a while, but this particular evening, they were determined enough to pull off the impossible: they presented before me an unoccupied Barnes and Noble chair. I plopped into it and began to read.

I truly have no words to describe the catharsis upon reading chapter one of this book. As it turns out, the author had bombed what seems to be the very online Aspie quiz I had, and if you plan to read Best Practices, I highly recommend bombing the quiz first yourself. Oh Dear God, the laughter hurt. I snorted and cried and fought against incontinence until finally, for the first time in months, I bought something that was not on my shopping list.

After discovering this guy’s quiz score was less Aspie than mine, I booked the appointment for the inevitable diagnosis that my husband and I suspected had been coming toward me for quite some time. Shortly after my doctor broke the news gently (almost spiritually), he said, “You’re probably kind of hard to be married to.” This is a true statement.

Now, the book that I’d purchased for its sheer hilarity has become a useful tool. Because I, too, require reminders such as “Don’t change the radio while [he’s] singing along,” or “Apologies do not count when you shout them.”

Stay tuned for the adventures of an affectionate, empathetic and attentive Aspie wife! (What? Too ambitious?)

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