My husband and I have been together for more than two decades. (Yes, we got married when we were five. Stop laughing! Okay, we were really six.)
And while we have a number of things in common—similar tastes in movies, music, and activities—we are also really, really different.
He has blond hair and blue eyes. I have dark brown hair and hazel eyes.
But who cares about that, right? Let’s get down to the nitty gritty.
He loves to try new dishes when we go out to restaurants (or should I say “used to go out” since we haven’t during the pandemic). Me—I like to find what I love at a particular eatery, and then I tend to stick with it. Over and over and over again…
Brad doesn’t get this. The Daily Special? Sure, he’ll try it? Something new recently added to the menu? Absolutely! Serve it up! Holiday special that they only serve once a year? You betcha!
But not me. If we’ve been there before, chances are, I’ve got my favorite.
From time to time, I’ll order something different or even a Special of the Day. And it’s those times in which Brad looks up at me from his menu with a look that says, “Who are you? And what have you done with Michele?”
Believe me, though, it’s pretty rare for me to experiment.
That doesn’t mean I’m adverse to trying new things. Not by a long shot. In fact, a few years ago, I saw a Groupon and called Brad immediately.
Me: Guess what? There’s a Groupon for skydiving!
Brad: What???
Me: Yeah. There’s a great special on a tandem skydive with a professional. Do you want to do it?
Brad: …
Me: Are you there?
Brad: Yes. Have you lost your mind?
While we didn’t do the skydive, a friend gave me a gift certificate to do one indoors. I hope to post pandemic.
Although we tend to like a lot of the same things, one of us is easy to buy for and one of us isn’t. I’ll let you guess which is which.
Go ahead. Take some time to think on it. I’ll wait…
Here’s your answer, based on a recent conversation we had:
Brad: I’m really going to try to think hard about something you can get me for my birthday.
Me: Hey! I just found a purple, velvet ottoman that I want to buy!
Before you get the wrong idea, I’m not one of those folks who buys everything she sees or wants or dreams of. In fact, I often tend to take a long time to make a purchase because I love to hunt for deals, coupons, rebates, free gifts, and anything that can help me “stick it to the man!”
Brad, on the other hand, absolutely can’t stand doing this. Sure, he’d love to save the money, but has no patience for searching for coupons, promo codes, etc.
When I do the laundry, I make sure I’ve had a shower so that, for a brief moment in time, there are no dirty clothes in the house.
Brad thinks this is insane. “We’re going to have dirty clothes tomorrow,” he will quip.
“Leave me alone. I like deluding myself,” I respond.
As we approach the holiday season, I have already written down many possible gift items. Him?
Not so much.
If you hear a loud scream in the distance, don’t worry, it’s just me.
Michele “Wojo” Wojciechowski, when she’s not ordering a pizza sub from the local carry out—the same one she always gets, writes “Wojo’s World®” from Baltimore. She’s also the author of the award-winning book Next Time I Move, They’ll Carry Me Out in a Box. You can connect with Wojo on Facebook or on Twitter.
Did you know that Wojo has a newsletter? It’s full of fun stories, facts, and contests. And she won’t spam you because she doesn’t know how, and it’s bad Karma. Email her at Wojo@WojosWorld.com to subscribe.
