Four married men went fishing together one day and, as they cast their lines, began talking about what they’d given up to make it happen. The first guy started, saying, “You have no idea what I had to do this weekend. I promised my wife I’d paint the whole house.” The other guys nodded in understanding, knowing how tough it could be to make such deals.

But then, the second guy jumped in, eager to one-up the first. “That’s nothing!” he exclaimed. “I promised my wife I’d build her a new pool deck. Her dream fishing trip was the only way to make it happen after all these years!”

The third guy, who had been listening intently, laughed and said, “You both have it easy! I promised to redo the entire kitchen. It’s going to be a ton of work, but I had to join you on this fishing trip!”

Finally, the fourth guy, who had been quiet up until now, was asked what he’d given up to come along. He grinned slyly and said, “Well, I just set my alarm for 5:30. When it went off, I turned it off, gave my wife a light push, and asked, ‘Fishing or S**?’ You know what she said? ‘Put on a sweater.’”

The group burst into laughter, impressed with how smoothly he had escaped for a fishing weekend. Sometimes, making a simple, straightforward choice works out the best!