Two Different People

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Can two people who are polar opposite maintain a relationship? I’m here to say yes. My husband and I couldn’t be more different from each other if we tried. We have been married almost ten years now.

Gary

He is laid back, a procrastinator, and it will get done when it gets done, kind of guy. He is never in a hurry, he doesn’t plan. Let the chips fall where they may. He doesn’t worry about the future and does not dwell on the past. He lives in the moment. He isn’t political, he says we can’t change what is going to happen anyway so let it happen. He doesn’t vote. His attitude is my one little vote is not going to change the outcome of the Presidential race. Not to say he doesn’t worry because he does. Health, longevity, retirement, he’d like to enjoy a little bit of it before he leaves this world. At times he doesn’t feel well, I’d say 99 percent of the time. He doesn’t complain (except to me) so no one would know he wasn’t feeling well because he does not show it.

Gary can fix anything. He is a man’s man. He works with his hands, he gets dirty. No sitting behind a desk for this guy. This is a part of him I’m most fond of. At times in the company of people who are what I call “book smart”, he feels he doesn’t measure up. Besides being totally wrong about the entire idea, it’s utterly not true. I often tell him he is smart in a different way than them. Gary is life smart. He may not be book smart, but if there were a survival in the wilderness show he took part in my money would be on him. Not everyone is alike, we are all different in our own way.

Gary does not like confrontations, he will always help the little guy. He has empathy for animals in a big way. We are both alike in that area. We live in the country, so we have had more than our share of stray dogs, and cats enter our yard. We have even had a racoon, they are all God’s creatures so we try to help them when we can.

He loves the way I love. Neither one of us are overly affectionate with one another. But we love each other. This I know with a true certainty. Gary is my best friend he always tells me he has no friends. I say what about me; I’m your friend. 

He loves to shoot pool, ride snowmobiles, and I think he may have been born on a motorcycle. Gary used to drag race motorcycles. Apparently, he was awesome at it because he has many trophies and awards. He told me racing was something he was passionate about and it consumed his life for years. Now, in his sixties he no longer races. But still loves to go watch others who follow in his footsteps. It is a part of his past he is proud of, and he should be. Not everyone can do it.

Wendy

What can I say about myself? Unlike Gary, I live to get things done. I always tell him, if I could do it myself it would be done already. Being of the female persuasion, the weaker sex, physically anyway, I do require help once in a while. If it is something that does not require two people, I will get the job done. Gary has done an immense amount of work on our house, we basically gutted and started over, but I have also participated and done my share of the work. My part normally comes at the end after the drywall, flooring, and fixtures are done. Painting, and finishing touches are all mine. Together we have ourselves a house we can be proud of. It isn’t a mansion, but it is unique because everything in it we picked out ourselves. It is not a new house, but an old one. The only thing that is gross is the basement. I do not go down there unless I have to because there are spiders. We bomb it once in a great while, but I know they lurk there anyway. Waiting to pounce on me. I have a fear of spiders, but not so much that if I see one in the house it’s dead. Nothing worse than wondering where a spider went after spotting one. They are fast and they creep me out. Also, they do not belong in the house, I am not one of those people who will pick one up and place it back outside. Why, so it can make its way back in the house? No, if I spot one it’s dead. I have used hair spray to vanquish them, but I find a fly swatter works the best. Dangerous if they are on the ceiling-there is a chance the spider could fall on my head. Just thinking about it gives me the willies.

I always tell my husband he is a napper, and I am a doer. He loves his naps napping is not for me. I sleep at night, that’s enough. There is always something to do, and Gary will find me doing it. 

Running is a big part of my life, and so is this blog. Staying busy is a top priority. Being bored doesn’t fit into my schedule. Summertime is huge for me. A friend of mine always visits around my birthday and we go flower shopping. We spend hours in the greenhouses. So many perennials, annuals, we go crazy for rose bushes, elephant ears, and we love the atmosphere of the place. Green houses are a happy place for us, browsing is fun. In the town I live in there is more than one greenhouse, so most of the day goes by before we return home. Planting begins next, potting soil, shovels, spade, gardening gloves, the day turns into night before we blink an eye. Friends are an important part of my life, so I enjoy spending time with them.

Not all parts of me are likable, my patience is short, the older I get the shorter it gets. In addition, I'm a little OCD. I have the firm belief everything has its place, and everything should be in its place. Training my husband after we were married was the first thing that took place. He is better now than he used to be. Are all men messy? The hamper in his bathroom was empty and the clothes were lying beside it. It didn’t make sense to me the first time I saw it and it still doesn't make sense to this day. 

So different as we are, we still make it work. Gary the laidback procrastinator, and Wendy the OCD, get things done girl. We only have this one life, and we found one another later in our lives. We need to make the most of it, and not sweat the small stuff. In the end it doesn’t matter.

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He is the Richardo to my Lucy.

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