Friday, March 9, 2012

The one where she talks about a good fight

It may come as a surprise to you to learn that I have a bit of a temper. Hahahaha, OK it's not surprising at all. I have gotten better with age, and parenting has taught me a lot about picking my battles and counting to 10 before flying off the handle, but once quick to anger, always quick to anger.

The Husband, on the other hand, does not get mad at all. Ever. He truly is the Yin to my Yang. The untrained eye might take this as a lack of assertiveness on his part. That would be a mistake. There is nothing weak or passive about that man, he just manages to do what he needs to do without getting flustered. For example, when I was in labour there came a point where it was clear that I needed to throw up (again) and the receptacle provided was no longer adequate. While the rest of the room panicked looking for another (probably inadequate) receptacle, The Husband very calmly took the one I had, emptied it into the garbage can, and handed it back to me. A room full of people who spend all day, every day with people in labour were flummoxed and The Husband, supporting his wife through the birth of their first child, was the one who stayed calm and solved the problem.

I spice up his life a little by flying into a rage about the fucking property tax bill, and he grabs my arm before I tilt over the edge. Perfect match! Except... Sometimes those of us who are quick to anger like a good fight. Seems silly to think that some people thrive on a little confrontation unless you are one of those people, but there you have it. Sometimes, I need someone to spar with to keep my claws sharp. It sounds crazy, I know. Luckily, my loving husband has just the solution to this seemingly insurmountable problem:

The cable, hydro and insurance companies. The bank. The tax collector. Defective product manufacturers. Issues with all of the above and then some are my exclusive domain in our household. Billing amount is wrong? I go get 'em. Overtaxed? I'm on it. Claim mishandled? RAWR! New thing for The Parasite broke on first use? Oh, I'll get my damn money back, fear you not! It's a perfect system for an imperfect couple.

What are things like in your house? Do you have one cool and collected and one brimming with fire? If you're not coupled, do you have to be a little Jekyll and a little Hyde?


This post is written as part of GBE2 - Week #42 word prompt: Confrontation. For more info about GBE,  click here.  

8 comments:

Jo said...

I live with Mr.NoFuse as opposed to Mr.ShortFuse. He swears at things that don't do what he thinks they should, he throws stuff (tools, mostly) that don't do what he needs them to do the first or tenth time he tries exactly the same thing. He has no solutions, only anger. It is always towards things, not people.
He is non-confrontational with people. He will internalize and work it out in his own head.
Me? I have the patience of Job, but once at the end of that, I confront. Calmly and acutely. Get to the point, state what I NEED and expect to get it. It works for me.
He accomplishes little with his fury and I usually have to apply the fix, but around here, other than the loud expletives, everything is fairly well handled!

Just Jane said...

I'm the flier off the handle at home. Lex is my constant voice of reason...unless we're talking about government conspiracies and then...well...I just hand him the roll of aluminum foil and let him go about making himself a new hat.

Alexandra said...

Oh, geez, we both go from zero to 50 in 1 second flat.

Old and opinionated, we are.

Kyla @ Mommys Weird said...

We are the exact same as you guys. IT works. Though, I do embarrass him.

revelations said...

Being single I do the Jekyll and Hyde thing..I am very slow to burn but sometimes I just need a good scrap... :)

Unknown said...

I am the one at our house with the short fuse although I have noticed my fuse getting a little longer as I have aged. My husband and I get into it and then get over it and then life goes on. :D

Kathy
http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.com/

k~ said...

I love the way you talk about the balance being just where it needs to be. Use the energy, rather than diffusing it, nice way to go about it.

Anonymous said...

I have a very, very, very long fuse, but if someone is foolish to burn it all the way down, KAPOW! The hubs is growing more patient as he ages, but didn't start out as the most even-tempered of men. Luckily, very little of his anger is about people and none of it is about me. Smart man.