So, here it is...the surprise of the decade...a marriage proposal! I said, "Yes!" But now is the test...how well do we really know each other? We looked at the question above...he chose "C" while I chose "other".
I realized that perhaps I didn't know this man as well as I thought when I watched him hang ornaments on the tree. A relatively simple task and one that I thought everyone did the same way...wrong! Clearly, each person has a different way of hanging ornaments; something I never EVER contemplated. And the truth was, his way was incorrect! Ok, maybe not incorrect but certainly different than how I did it. Here's his technique; two ornaments underneath the branches close together. Mine? One ornament on the outer branches of the tree and spaced, oh so decoratively. His, you could hardly see...that is, until I shuffled them around! Admittedly, I have issues -- anxiety, to be exact. And this was causing me a tremendous amount of it. Were there more differences to come?
YES! A big source of tension has been whether or not to use heat during the winter months. I am a person who loves a warm house in the winter. He, on the other hand, cannot tolerate the heat as it dries out his contact lenses and nasal passages. My suggestion? A humidifier. His? A heavy comforter. We actually came to blows when I suggested that we call off the engagement less than a week into it. Yes, I cannot stand cold feet or fingers, which I have as I write today. Yet, we have somehow managed a truce for now. Thankfully, the temperatures outside are hitting the 50's, making the house a balmy 67 degrees inside. One thing's for certain; I can never move to the Northeast, the Midwest or Bend, Oregon with this man! That leaves me Las Vegas or Lubbock, Texas from where I'm sitting, since California is way too expensive; in other words, a desert with no more than six weeks of hard winter.
Other differences? He's perky in the morning. Although not crabby in the morning, I certainly don't talk much before I have my second cup of coffee. He hates cats whereas, I love them. He folds his socks to prevent them from stretching out while I roll mine into a tight little ball. He will play tennis in any temperature including 120 degree heat whereas, I will barely step outside except to dip my toe in the pool at those temperatures! In other words, as he reminds me frequently, he is an athlete; I'm not.
As for now, we are re-arranging furniture and decorations within his house. He has lived the bachelor life for far too long and thankfully, he is open to my suggestions. He craves a woman's touch and I am more than happy to provide it. I cleared out the wet bar today and he moved around pictures at my behest. Frankly, it is beginning to feel like home. Having been newly widowed when he moved here, I suspect he wanted his house to feel like his old place. He filled the empty spaces. Now with one more person, the space is not quite so empty. It is warmer and full of life.
At the end of the day, marriage is about love and compromise. We are both blessed to have found one another in this crazy town. Our personal wish lists for prospective spouses have pretty much been fulfilled. As we work to find that perfect balance, we continue to live life like a couple of crazy college kids. Is the glass half-empty or half-full? Does it matter? The bottom line is that couples will always have their differences. As long as there is a mutual respect, open communication and an extra blanket, almost any problem can be solved.
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