Night Owls and Early Birds

by Samuel T Griffis

The Celeste Tribune

They say opposites attract. I say they are right. Although, my wife, Vicki, and I share a lot of the same interests and thoughts, we are definitely as different as night and day in several ways.

Take traveling for instance. We don’t think exactly alike on that subject. At my age when someone says “Go”, I immediately head for the bathroom. Vicki heads for the car. She doesn’t care where we are going; she just wants to go.

I can’t imagine ever doing this, but let’s say, I asked Vicki if she wanted to take an auto trip to New York City with her doing the driving. She would immediately jump up, pack about twelve suitcases and be under the steering wheel ready to go. We would get to about the end of the driveway when she would turn to me and ask, “Now, which way is New York?”

I’m a little different. I would change the oil, check the tires, belts and every other thing I could think of on the vehicle. When I finished all that, I would spend time figuring out which route would be the best, how long it would take, etc. Then I would pack my gym bag, cram it in between the suitcases and begin the trip. Oh, yeah, I would also consider every thing that could possibly go wrong. Vicki loves me for that. She says she never has to worry; I do enough for both of us.

She is much more outgoing than I am. I have to know someone for awhile before I warm up to them, but she never meets a stranger. She can walk into a room full of people she has never met and in five minutes it’s as if they were all lifelong friends. She’s also a hugger. Hasn’t seen you in a while? Hug. Having problems? Hug. Accomplish something? Hug. Need to leave the room to use the bathroom. Hug. I used to caution her about hugging everyone. I told her it might make some folks uncomfortable. I changed my mind, though, when the wife of an elderly client stopped by our business one day.

She came in to tell Vicki she was bringing her husband home from the hospital. But, before going on home, he wanted to stop by our office. “He’s out in the car and wants to see you,” she told Vicki. Vicki went to the car and asked the gentleman what she could do for him. He told her, “Vicki, I’m not doing too well and I just needed one of your hugs.” She gave him a big hug, and just for good measure, gave his wife one, too.

One commonality Vicki and I do share is liking to shop. However, our modus operandi differs somewhat. I look around a while, make a few selections and am good to go. Not her. She feels a need to pick up and examine almost every item in the store. Finally, after an excruciatingly long passage of time and a cart full of merchandise, I’ll think she is headed to check out. But, n-o-o.o. She points to the clothes in the cart and indicates she is going to try on all of them. “All of them? As in everyone of them?” I ask. She nods in the affirmative. My heart sinks and my blood pressure rises as I realize it will be another long delay before we leave the store. Why? I ask myself. Why do I even come along? I know this is going to happen every time.

I guess the answer is I enjoy being with her. Yeah, it’s true I like listening to music while she prefers talk radio. She’s a night owl; I’m an early bird. She has an insatiable curiosity which makes reading and the internet almost addictive to her. Me? I don’t need all that. I’m blessed to already know just about everything. Still, despite our differences, there is no one I would rather be with.

On May 31st, Vicki and I will be married forty years. We pretty much have given up trying to mold each other into what we think the other one should be. I am who I am and she is who she is. I‘m pretty sure this late in the game, that‘s the way it‘s going to stay. But, since I’m on the subject, Vicki, it probably wouldn’t hurt if you………….nah, don’t go changing for me. I love you just the way you are.

Happy Anniversary!