Four married men decided to go fishing together one day.

While they were fishing, they talked about the things they had given up to be there.

First, one of the men said, “You don’t know what I had to do to come fishing with you today. On Saturday, I promised my wife I would paint the entire house.”

The other men nodded to show they understood how difficult it was to make plans with their wives.

But the second man’s story was even more impressive.

He exclaimed, “That’s nothing! I promised my wife I’d build her a new deck for the pool.”

Taking her fishing was the only way to fulfill her dream after she had wanted it for years.

The third man, listening carefully, shared his own story.

He said, “You both had it easy! I promised my wife I’d redo the entire kitchen for her.”

It will be a lot of work, but I just had to join you guys on this fishing trip.”

While they continued fishing, they glanced at the fourth man who had been quiet.

Eventually, they gave in and asked him, “You haven’t said anything about what you had to do to come fishing this weekend. What’s going on?”

When he shared his secret, the fourth man grinned mischievously. “Well,” he started, “I just set my alarm for 5:30. When it rang, I turned it off, gave my wife a light push, and asked, “Fishing or something else?”

Guess what she said? “Put on a sweater.”

The other men laughed at how clever he was for finding a way to go fishing.

Sometimes things don’t go as expected when you make a straightforward choice.