Night and Day

Nine and a half years ago, I met my husband. We’re about as different as night and day from each other. We married quickly and had babies one right after another and slowly learned the intricacies of the other. But still, it amazes me.

I’m not a perfectionist. I’m so ridiculously far from it, I’m amazed Blaine puts up with it with such grace. I do a great many things, but few things well.

Once I asked Blaine to fold the towel laundry in preparation for company coming. It took him 45 minutes to fold six bath towels. I rearranged the bathroom closet before I put them away. I could hardly stuff them in with the others when they were folded so… perfectly. I never asked him to do it again. I do not like cleaning out the bathroom closet.

Blaine takes beautiful pictures. He’s a great photographer. I shoot in auto mode. I have a very nice camera. Blaine has an even nicer camera. He really wants me to learn to shoot beautiful pictures too. But I like auto mode. And using the photos he takes.

When the garbage gets full, I push it down to see if more will fit. He takes it out.

When there are dirty dishes, I cannot cook. I cannot do anything until I take care of the messy kitchen. When there are no clean bowls, Blaine will eat out of a saucepan before he’ll grab dish soap.

When the flies were particularly bad the other day, I shooed them away and wondered where they were coming from. When Blaine got home, he had himself a fly massacre. And then… I mopped to clean up the fly massacre.

We make a great team. I love our life together. I love getting to know each of our children – and seeing the tendencies of myself and Blaine mirrored in our children. And while I’d love to say that my rush to just get things done is born out of sheer need to deal with life and children and homeschooling, it’s probably just laziness. It’s survival. And someday, I might have a perfectly arranged linen closet. But probably not.