I was pushing my wife’s buttons the other day when she shoved back and explained, “I am diligently guarding my own sanity.” I replied, “you may be guarding it, but I think that it has escaped.”
The rest of the argument did not go well for me.
When it comes to disagreements with my wife, things usually follow a familiar path. In the beginning, she thinks that she is right and I think that I am right. In the middle, I realize that I was not so right after all. In the end, I apologize and everything goes back to normal.
I was discussing this with my friend Martin who has had a similar experience resolving issues with his wife, but a completely different experience with his partners. He has given this issue a great deal of thought, and being a Type A analytic, he put his analysis in writing to explain his findings, which he has authorized me to share with you.
Here it is:
Beautiful: Wife, Yes; Partners, No.
Empathic: Wife, Yes; Partners, Not particularly.
Competitive with Martin: Wife, No; Partners, Very
Loyal: Wife, Yes; Partners: What have you done for me lately?
Kind : Wife, Yes; Partners, Only sometimes
Intelligent: Wife, Yes; Partners, Intellectually, yes. Emotionally, not so much
Team Player Wife, The Best; Partner: When it was in their interest
Willing to Screw Him Wife, Yes; Partners, Also yes, but differently
Power Hungry: Wife, No; Partners, Some of them
Money Hungry: Wife, No; Partners, Some of them
Puts Martin First: Wife, Always; Partners, Never.
Martin’s Best Friend: Wife, Absolutely; Partners, Not in this universe
Gives Martin the Benefit of the Doubt: Wife, Always; Partners, Rarely.
Martin and I both had a few great partners, but we also had difficult ones. That can be enough to ruin the experience. Be careful who you get into business with and guard your sanity. Oh, and be nice to your spouse. When you retire it is just you and them on the island, or in my case, out in the woods.