Posted on by ToadMama

Complete Opposites

I’ve said here before that my Hubby, Mike, doesn’t share my appreciation for roadside oddities. He doesn’t really “get” my signature selfie pose either. Or my need to take pictures to support this blog habit of mine. All of those things together are what make this picture so absolutely perfect. Even down to that grumpy look on the background owl’s face!

If Mike and I were owls.
If Mike and I were owls.
The awesome OWLFIE was posted to IMGUR.com by ShadowBun (PsBattle: Burrowing Owls spot a camera).

Oddly enough, it was Mike who found the picture. He visits some unique Web sites.

He and I are very different people, but we’ve managed to stay married for 22+ years. Every couple needs to have a normal and not-so-normal partner, right?

I just have to keep reminding myself of one very important thing. It isn’t his fault that he’s not-so-normal.

I had to laugh the other day when we stopped for lunch. I’d really been enjoying the ride, especially seeing all the different-colored leaves. So when he said, “It’s really been a great ride,” I responded with an excited, sorta lengthy bit of chat/rant that went something like this…

“Oh my GOD, I know! It’s been so pretty, with the beautiful clear, blue sky. And all the different-colored leaves. It’s like we’re riding through a tunnel of color. And the sun is so bright, I just love it when the sun comes through the trees and hits the red leaves and the yellow leaves. You know, so they’re like backlit and sort of glow or shine or whatever as they hang down over the road. It’s like a kaleidoscope or something. Amazing. It really has been fabulous. I’ve picked some awesome roads.”

face_palm

He looked at me with a very subtle smirk on his face and said…

     “I just meant because the roads are smooth and curvy.”

Remember… he can’t help it.

I think it was during that same conversation when I asked him if he didn’t have me to ride with, whether he’d join a motorcycle club/riding group. Not a biker gang, just a club like those folks who have regular ride-to-eat meet-ups or maybe a Victory Owners Group. (He could be a VOG! If there is such a thing.) You know, so he wasn’t riding alone all the time.

Want to know what he said?

“I don’t do that whole ‘people’ thing.”

He didn’t actually use air quotes, but he did emphasize people, with a look of distaste on his face as he spoke. Cracked. Me. Up.

I HAD to type that quote on my Notepad IMMEDIATELY so I’d remember it exactly.

Mike is a nice enough guy, once you get to know him, but he’s shy (I refuse to use that over-abused “i” word.). He can be moody, too, especially when hungry. Oh, and I can’t forget opinionated. He’s a smart-ass, too. And not very patient when it comes to certain things, e.g., character traits like self-centeredness and laziness, and loud/rude behavior(s).

Yes, despite all of that, I still love him. He has lots of good qualities, too.

I'd asked him to pose by the statue for a picture with Shannon.
I’d asked him to “pose by the statue for a picture with Shannon.”

We laugh a lot, that’s for sure.

Are you and your significant other very much alike? Only a little? Or complete opposites like us?

13 Replies to “Complete Opposites”

  1. I don’t do the whole ‘people’ thing either, lol, but at least I come by it honestly! Chris and I are pretty much on the same page when it comes to people, but we’re definitely opposites in other ways.

    Since you don’t like the “i” word, maybe you should have Dad try on ambivert for size. I think it’s more appropriate than the “i” word for both of us. And that other word you’re looking for is hangry. 🙂

  3. I love this post! Mike sounds like a hoot…you two are absolutely the perfect example of opposites attracting. 🙂

    My hub and I are different in some ways and very similar in others. He is much more a people person and will talk anyone’s ear off. I like my alone time. We both love to ride and explore new roads and areas, and he is growing ever more tolerant of my need to photograph everything. He has even suggested turning around for something we might have missed. 😀 This last trait is new since retirement because we are not always in a hurry anymore. We talk all the time about how lucky we are to have built in riding buddies, because we both hate group riding. One or two other bikes is fun sometimes, but the norm is just us. Now I think we would enjoy riding with you two, so we have to make that happen one day for sure!

    1. Lynne, he is a hoot. 🙂

      I’ve often noticed that one half of a couple usually tends to talk more than the other half. I guess that’s how they balance each other out.

      Mike doesn’t mind stopping on occasion. Maybe it’ll be better when he retires and is no longer on any sort of clock.

      I’m not crazy about group riding, either. We’ve enjoyed riding with couples or other single bikes, but that’s about it. I’d be happy to show you guys around Virginia. I keep thinking we need to explore more of TN, NC, and GA, too.

  4. Hmmmm….. I’m sensing a common theme here – I don’t do ‘people’ either 🙂 Guess it’s true when the say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I’m always telling TJ he has Dad to thank. Lol

  5. I still love that picture! I can imagine the owl saying in a very proper british voice. “we are not amused.”

    I am with Mike on the people thing. I get enough of people at the office, mind you with our clientele that isn’t hard.

    1. Brandy, I love it, too. I’m not hearing the British accent, though, since all I can think of when I see the background owl is my husband, and he can’t even understand Brits, much less speak that way.

      I know what you mean about people at the office. I’ve been working from home since 2006. Now, when I have to spend an entire day at the office, it exhausts me.All that talking. 🙂

  6. Mike is the perfect foil for you.
    “I just meant because the roads are smooth and curvy.”
    I totally read that as him deadpanning it with a slow blink after your flurry or words 😆

    You too are funny 😀

    Happy belated bday, Mike!

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