For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for November 23, 2016

Ted is either single, or about to be.

He has also got an insult mouth that just doesn’t know when to stay shut when it comes to women.

Mid life crisis approaching? Go on a second honeymoon.

Taking advice from Ted…bad idea.

The cycle breaks itself up eventually. When my kids were young the boys joined the Scouts, and so did I . Some of the most interesting times of my life!

Lynn’sNote:

In order to inject a little intrigue into the story, I made John’s Doctor friend, Ted, a very bad influence. Although he was completely fictional, I was often asked who he “really was.”

Even if “Ted” was based on someone she knew, do you really think Lynn would tell you who he/she was. That’s the ultimate in broken confidences. Would anyone want to be an acquaintance or friend to Lynn after that. :-D

When I finally was able to work from home rather than the daily drudge commuting to a job, I was initially, ecstatic.

The euphoria lasted about two days ( of that long ) !

I quickly realized that in order to get anything accomplished working out of my house, I had to be even more disciplined and adhere strictly to a routine – more so, than when I was " in the office ".

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Ironically, today’s strip touches on an interesting point. Dentists are rated in the top 10 ( #2 ) for suicides – Medical doctors having the highest rate of suicide for any profession.

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Researchers suggest that dentists are nearly 1.67 times as likely to commit suicide compared to an average job. There are many factors that likely contribute to this increased risk of suicide including: stress, demanding nature of the job, patient complaints, perfectionism, and even loans to pay off from dental school. Many new dentists enter the field with significant debt and overwork themselves in attempt to pay it off – not realizing that they are sacrificing their personal health.

One piece of advice, John: NEVER listen to Ted!

The cycle stops when you die.. don’t look forward to breaking that cycle.

Mid-life crisis. Simple as that. We all have them. I’m having one right now, and I’m 82. Get up, go to doctor, go home.

“Don’t go home” is not an option. John’s complaint is his job is mundane and too routine. He still has a happy home life (despite Ellie’s nagging!).

Whatever Ted says, do the opposite and you should do well. He can help his wife take care of the kids. Imagine what she will say to him when he tells her he is bored with life.

This strip may be a clue as to the eventual breakup of the author’s marriage.

It looks like he is “a little down in the mouth”. So they say.

Men think that women — even stay at home moms don’t ever feel like this. Or, more likely, don’t CARE…

Finally, a sensible suggestion…

snailgate

No, the nonfiction one was due to his finding something to do outside that routine. And I still want to know how he could get all that dental equipment into a bush plane.

A new idea! Go on an enviro-vacation-work project. I went on an Earthwatch.org project to Australia. It changed my perspective. Best thing I ever did!

Ted got married to his secretary last year. She will be dumping him in a couple more months.

Or…don’t go to work.