The teenage boy couldn't sit still for the life of him. Some body part had to be on the move - a tapping foot, a swinging leg, perhaps some drumming fingers. It didn't matter what it was, he just had to move something. Sitting still and quiet was not an option. When the meeting was over, he came up and introduced himself to me. Oh, not in the typical, "Hi! I'm Marc" mode of operandi. No, he said, "Come here! I've gotta show you something!" We were in the Guidance Office of my high school. We were both sixteen. He led me over to the copy machine and lifted the cover.
"Look!" He said to me. So I did. There, under the sealed glass sat a lone staple. I looked back up at him. "How did that get there?!" He exclaimed, truly puzzled. Unfortunately, staples under sealed glass were not, at the time, within my area of expertise. Come to think of it, they still aren't.
We eventually made our way outside with everyone else, and as groups (especially of teens) often do, we stood around and talked for an hour or more while periodically someone would ask, "What do you guys want to do?" During this hour or so, Marc's energy and exuberance for life stole my attention (okay, so it didn't hurt that he was like the cutest guy I'd ever seen).
Five years later, we married.
Over the past twenty-eight years of marriage, I've learned a lot of things about life and relationships. One of those tidbits is the fact that not only do opposites attract, but opposites need each other. Marc is all or nothing. I maintain a balanced median.
He's a light switch. I'm a dimmer switch.
He likes TV and video games. I'm a bookworm.
He thrives in crowds and loves to mingle. Crowds overwhelm me. I like small gatherings with a few friends.
He's impulsive in some things but has to plan for others. I have to plan most things, but I like to be impulsive about others - primarily the things that Marc needs to plan for.
He loves puzzles, riddles, mind games. He loves to figure things out (remember the staple under the sealed glass?). The only thing I love to figure out is how to organize something: my pantry or file cabinet or words on a piece of paper.
Think about it, if I had married someone just like myself, oh dear, what a painfully boring life we'd have. On the other hand, if Marc had married someone like himself, their life would be anything but boring. They'd take each other from one thing to the next to the next to the next. Schedules, due dates, and appointments be damned. I've told Marc in the past that, at times, I feel like he's a kite trying to sail higher and higher while I hold the kite string, keeping him fettered to reality while still allowing him to catch the wind.
We're opposites as are most couples. There have been times over the years when I've wondered how we got together and stayed together . . . and quite happily at that. We're Dr. Evil and Mini-Me - well, sort of but not really . . . at least we can look at each and say, "you complete me" and know that it's the honest-to-God truth.
Happy Valentine's Day, Sweetheart! I love you!
"Look!" He said to me. So I did. There, under the sealed glass sat a lone staple. I looked back up at him. "How did that get there?!" He exclaimed, truly puzzled. Unfortunately, staples under sealed glass were not, at the time, within my area of expertise. Come to think of it, they still aren't.
We eventually made our way outside with everyone else, and as groups (especially of teens) often do, we stood around and talked for an hour or more while periodically someone would ask, "What do you guys want to do?" During this hour or so, Marc's energy and exuberance for life stole my attention (okay, so it didn't hurt that he was like the cutest guy I'd ever seen).
Five years later, we married.
Over the past twenty-eight years of marriage, I've learned a lot of things about life and relationships. One of those tidbits is the fact that not only do opposites attract, but opposites need each other. Marc is all or nothing. I maintain a balanced median.
He's a light switch. I'm a dimmer switch.
He likes TV and video games. I'm a bookworm.
He thrives in crowds and loves to mingle. Crowds overwhelm me. I like small gatherings with a few friends.
He's impulsive in some things but has to plan for others. I have to plan most things, but I like to be impulsive about others - primarily the things that Marc needs to plan for.
He loves puzzles, riddles, mind games. He loves to figure things out (remember the staple under the sealed glass?). The only thing I love to figure out is how to organize something: my pantry or file cabinet or words on a piece of paper.
Think about it, if I had married someone just like myself, oh dear, what a painfully boring life we'd have. On the other hand, if Marc had married someone like himself, their life would be anything but boring. They'd take each other from one thing to the next to the next to the next. Schedules, due dates, and appointments be damned. I've told Marc in the past that, at times, I feel like he's a kite trying to sail higher and higher while I hold the kite string, keeping him fettered to reality while still allowing him to catch the wind.
We're opposites as are most couples. There have been times over the years when I've wondered how we got together and stayed together . . . and quite happily at that. We're Dr. Evil and Mini-Me - well, sort of but not really . . . at least we can look at each and say, "you complete me" and know that it's the honest-to-God truth.
Happy Valentine's Day, Sweetheart! I love you!
Love this! So true, so true!
ReplyDeleteRichard and I have switched form describing our relationship from "total opposites" to "complimentary."
Heath Bailey