We come together 'cause opposites attract

That's a horrible Paula Abdul song reference, I know.

Adam leaves tomorrow to hike the Appalachian trail for 4 days and I can't help but think about how that's something I would never do, or even think about doing. He's going with a group of friends to hike 40 miles in the mountains, with no cell phone service and no shower or bathing/bathroom facilities of any kind along the way. No toilet paper? No hair products? No shower?? No. Everything he needs will be stored neatly in a large backpack, including food and shelter, squarely strapped to his back. I joked today at his sister's graduation party that the only way I'd partake in an outing like this one would be with a gun pointed to my head, or if my option was to hike or jump off a cliff.

I'm a true type A extrovert. I'm not 'one with nature' unless gardening or mowing the lawn counts. I wear inappropriate outfits and shoes to nearly every place I go--except for work. I love shoes, purses, the color pink and talking. I don't care if I'm uncomfortable, as long as I look cute. I like organization, cleanliness and planning ahead to complete tasks before their due date. I'm a creature of habit, and don't read directions. I get frustrated easily, am impatient and once I get an idea in my head, I'm all for it. I want what I want, and I don't want to wait for it. I talk without thinking, make decisions based on my heart instead of my head and am a true city girl at heart--even though I see a corn field when I look out my back window.

My husband, on the other hand, is a type B introvert. He loves nature, clipping coupons and saving money. He loves driving a tractor, obscure beer, building things and sensible clothing. He wears things until they fall apart and places comfort before fashion. He's a born procrastinator and cleans only when the clutter becomes out of control. He reads and follows all directions and isn't afraid to try something new. He's incredibly patient, even tempered and thinks everything through before tackling a project. He loves and understands sports, stops to smell the roses and lay on the grass to watch the stars.

You could say we're opposites, but you could also say we make up for one another's faults--or better yet, we offer a perfect balance to one another. When getting married in the Catholic church, you must go through the Pre Cana process. This essentially means you take personality and compatibility tests and learn how to work together, blah blah. While I don't feel I learned anything I didn't already know, I was struck by the results of our compatibility test. We scored on opposite ends of the spectrum in several areas, especially in respect to our personalities. We approach situations differently, plan and just think differently when it comes to the decisions we make. We were told to remember this when our personalities clash, and to keep in mind that the other was coming from another direction in their thought process. It wasn't bad, we were told.

For anything to work successfully, a balance must be achieved. The scales of justice, the yin and the yang and those tasty cookies that are half chocolate and half white icing. It's impossible to be like someone in all aspects of life, and really, things would get boring pretty darn quickly. The emotional can't function without the rational, and the lavish spender would go broke without the penny pincher, as much as the big spender hates to admit they can't go to the grocery without a fist full of coupons.

On an episode of Oprah recently there was a guest was on talking about marriage and divorce. Someone important, I really don't remember. What I do remember is something that really moved me--he said that marriage is not just about the bond between two people, the hope of living a life together or even raising a family together. Deep down in its core, marriage is about righting the wrongs in your life and the faults and pain of childhood. You chose your mate because they fulfill something in you that is missing, something that was once a painful void. They seem so unlike you because they have to be; they couldn't fill in the gaps otherwise.

On a side note, did you know that dogs can get pink eye? My dog has pink eye. Here I was, being all crazy and thinking that rampant diarrhea was bad. Here's hoping humans can't catch her nasty conjunctivitis.