There are many sides to every story. Rather than a harmful experience as the headline might suggest, this man, my husband Masen, was actually being rescued from a life of Yuppie-Dom. He is really a hippy at heart. He is currently disguised and doing his best to pass himself off as a yuppie. His parents want to be sure that he doesn’t completely succumb to the dark-side.

His background includes traveling in an overcrowded VW bus, living in an adobe hut and a teepee, communal living on a farm in West Virginia, and trying out some illicit substances at a very early age. Dumpster diving, organics, barn raising, an early introduction into consciousness raising and an inherent distrust of’ the man’ are all a part of his history. He has three parents, yes three, in perfect 60’s style, and they are some of his best friends.

His mom was way ahead of her time. Back in the 70’s, she sent him to school with the good kind of peanut butter, the fruit only/no sugar jelly, and rice cakes. Now of course Masen, being quite willful even then and quite the negotiator, managed to schmooze and network with the other kids. In a manner that would have made Tom Sawyer appreciate, he made his health food lunch seem appealing, and he was able to trade  his ‘hippy healthy’ lunch foods for some good old fashioned balogna and cheese on white bread.

I, on the other hand, grew up eating white bread, and meat and potatoes. Coca Cola was a daily staple. We lived in the an upscale track home on a typical cul-de-sac. So you can imagine this scene; whenever we have gone house hunting together, whether renting or thinking of buying, I always seek out the ‘funky’ stuff. The ‘weirdo’ houses, they places with style and quirkiness. Masen on the other hand wants the clean white walls, traditional, high end, upper class, clean lines. ANYTHING that reeks of hippy or beatnik is simply not an option.

The first year we got together, I went home with him for Christmas. He had already immersed himself in California culture, and his hippy side was well hidden. His mom, being the creative gift giver that she is, gave him a really nice wooden spoon, in order to remind him of his hippy background. We still have that spoon to this day, albeit a bit worse for wear.

Even though he is trying to pass, his hippy heritage still shows. He still has that same distrust of ‘THE MAN’, and he dabbles in some of the conspiracy theories and alternative political beliefs. The irony is that he recently realized he is now the guy making the rules. He has a staff of employees, makes a good salary, and lives a rather ‘yuppie’ lifestyle.  I guess he has actually become ‘THE MAN!’ What you resists persists, right?