Tuesday, 30 June 2015 09:02

Opposites Attract?

Rate this item
(0 votes)
What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.
John Steinbeck

A few weekends ago my husband and I were happily admiring our new toys that had arrived in the post. Mine was a bunch of gorgeous artificial tulips while Kevin's was an apparently very clever new battery charger. I kid you not, he was enthralled with it! It has an electronic thing-majigy and can charge different size batteries, amongst other things that my mind simply cannot retain to repeat.

You may well wonder how on earth we've survived 20 years together? In spite of our differences we have some things in common and together we make a great team. When the basil we originally planted in the red-polka-dot-tea-cup in the kitchen looked increasingly sickly, I got the brilliant idea that tulips it should be. Kevin hunted them down on eBay and in the process discovered his dream battery charger. When they arrived we were both as happy as Larry.

The thing about differences in relationships is that when it works, the sum truly can be greater than the parts. Left to my own devices, I would never have looked for tulips on eBay. Without me, Kevin would still be charging batteries one size at a time and would never have had the joy of a 'tulip-filled-red-polka-dot-tea-cup-planter' in his life!

However, getting to the point where your rough edges work for, not against you can take time and effort. Differences of opinion often has us scratching either our heads, or each others eyes out, until we learn to love the things that drive us mad. In the early days of our relationship, Numerology helped me see our differences in a new light. It not only helped me understand myself, it also gave me an inkling of how Kevin experiences his world.

Getting a glimpse of the inner workings of your core nature doesn't require Numerology to happen. All it really needs is curiosity, the curiosity to wonder why. Why do we do what we do? Why do other people do the things they do?

Taking my own advice, I just went to peer hopefully at the battery charger and I have to be honest, it does absolutely nothing for me. But somehow, looking at it and remembering Kevin's enthusiastic description of all it's clever parts, warms my heart. And that is all it takes. A moment to open your heart to what you don't understand and will probably never get. A moment of openness to ourselves, to others and to this beautiful world we live in.

Click here to receive updates via RSS:

Comments  

# Tiina A 2016-10-13 21:24
Lovely post! That's how it is and it's great that we are different and have the possibility to go to another world which we are not so familiar with.
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
# - Soul Sense Coaching 2016-10-14 05:33
Thanks Tiina, it is such an adventure, isn't it!
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
# Surekha 2016-10-13 17:34
I think that's how you fall in love with the other person, seeing things they like which you never imagined and sharing common beliefs.
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
# - Soul Sense Coaching 2016-10-14 05:32
That is so beautifully put, Surekha and definitely true for me in my own life. Even friends that, in the beginning, I thought would were too different to ever be really close to, I have some to love for those very differences.
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
# Jennifer L 2016-10-13 08:14
I think that's the beauty of life and relationships is that we all bring our own viewpoints, personalities and unique essences. Great post!
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
# - Soul Sense Coaching 2016-10-13 09:41
It really does put the sparkle into relationships!
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
# Jackie 2016-10-13 01:22
Haha, so funny! Opposites attract, thats what makes things so interesting in a relationship.
Your tulip planter sounds adorable btw :)

http://www.purejackie.com
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
# - Soul Sense Coaching 2016-10-13 05:43
I must admit, Jackie, after writing this blog post,on the topic, I have quite a soft spot for the tulips and planter!
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
# Ana De- Jesus 2016-10-12 23:59
I think that if people are too similar they tend to clash more. Its good to have a bit of variety!
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
# - Soul Sense Coaching 2016-10-13 05:41
Variety is the spice of life, as they say, Ana!
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
# Sarah, Things Sarah 2016-10-12 17:36
Haha, my boyfriend and I are similar in some ways, bit very different in others. I get excited over the little things and he is much more laid back,, not really understand what all the excitement is about!
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
# - Soul Sense Coaching 2016-10-13 05:40
Lol, that is actually such a bonus. Some of my friends are as excitable as me and we exhaust ourselves over pretty much nothing. Just my husbands presence calms me, he is so steady, I love it and him!
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
# suchi 2016-10-12 17:36
it reminds me of me and my husband!!lol!.. nice post!
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
# - Soul Sense Coaching 2016-10-13 05:37
It's too funny, we all seem to marry our opposites!
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
# kathryn maher 2016-10-12 14:24
yes I'm glad you were both so happy with your Ebay purchases. Life would be very boring if we were all the same. People need different interests from each other thats what makes life and marriages interesting.
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
# - Soul Sense Coaching 2016-10-13 05:36
That it does, Kathryn! I actually love having someone so different point things out to me that I would never have been aware of without them. Growth is so mentally and emotionally stimulating, don't you find?
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
# NooDz 2016-10-12 12:47
I think being with someone with similar traits as yourself would eventually get boring...this is why it good to seek out the different, not only does it keep things from getting boring but it also helps broaden our minds as well.
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
# - Soul Sense Coaching 2016-10-12 13:32
It is one of the factors that plays a role in compatibility in Numerology as well. If you are too similar, it can be boring, but all that means is you might need to make more effort than other couples to put adventure into your life. Love is just the most flexible, all encompassing emotion that can make anything work, IMHO!
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
# Nina 2016-10-12 12:21
Opposites together can be such a good thing. They may see things you cannot and challenge you to see things in a different way.

Nina
aworldofdresses.com
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
# Elizabeth O. 2016-10-12 11:52
I love it, it's very well said and it's a good take on people that have different interests yet are in relationships. It's all about seeing how happy your partner is and not why something makes him happy.
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
# - Soul Sense Coaching 2016-10-12 13:30
Exactly, Elizabeth! There is something wonderful about rejoicing in someone else's happiness. It's kind of contagious, sort of like laughing even when you don't know what you are laughing at.
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
# MakeUp Fun 2016-10-12 08:53
In some cases it can be and in others cannot... I think for most aspects my boyfriend is opposite to me, but if we were too much different we wouldn't have much in common and our relationship couldn't go anywhere.
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
# - Soul Sense Coaching 2016-10-12 13:28
You are quite right, there need to be some fundamental similarities in core values I think, then the more superficial difference are interesting and stimulating. Otherwise, it can be a a more tricky scenario, for sure.
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
# Liz Mays 2016-10-11 22:00
You definitely have to learn to appreciate your differences. It's nice when you're able to become a good team!
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
# - Soul Sense Coaching 2016-10-12 13:26
it's the best! My husband has a whole range of skills I simply don't have and now he has learnt how to explain things to me in a way I can understand. It's brilliant.
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
# Megan Ogden 2016-10-11 17:51
Lol, it reminds me of when my husband got excited over a new steamer! It's the little things right?
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
# - Soul Sense Coaching 2016-10-12 13:25
It so is those little things Megan, they are what make the world such a rich and vibrant experience. Lol, a steamer!
Reply | Reply with quote | Quote

Add comment


Refresh