Opposites: part one

A while back, I posted about how my husband and I met and how I was drawn to his tranquility. I also hinted, that as frenetic as I am, his tranquility is simultaneously relaxing and irritating.

One of my few loyal readers made a comment about the cliche-ness of the whole opposites attract theory and then conceded that sometimes it is that complementary nature of two beings that makes it work... at least on some days.

I thought I would shine a light on some the silly ways that hubs and I are opposites.

I am a mover: I mean an incessant mover. I am a multi-tasker. I have a hard time sitting down, taking breaks, and just relaxing and doing nothing. I am also a "gitter-done" sort of gal. If I think of something that needs to be done, I never wait until a commercial break or until I feel like it...for the most part, I get up and do it. I rarely lounge; even while watching TV, I sit perched, ready to jump up and grab laundry, get the kids' teeth brushed, pijamas on, pick up toys, put away leftovers, dishes etc. I can never relax if the hubs is working on something, there is too much guilt.

My husband is inertia-challenged, at least at home. At work he runs around all day. But at home, once he is in a horizontal position, you will be hard-pressed to get him vertical again. When he puts G to bed, he takes a 2-hour nap, while I toil around the house. His lack of inertia (and lack of hearing) is exacerbated by screens--especially the TV. He can easily relax, guilt-free, watching the TV while I, for example, paint the baseboards (ahem, tonight). While my natural state at home is manic frenzy, his is vegetative. It is not that he is lazy, exactly, he gets things done during moments of inspiration or bursts of energy. But once he sits down to take a break, it is pretty much over.


I think more than yin and yang, really, this is a classic case of Newton knows best: an object in motion tends to stay in motion; an object at rest tends to stay at rest.

Stay tuned for opposites attract/repel part two, coming soon...