Inside, Outside...Upside Down?

Scott and I grew up together. I don't know that two people could know more about each other than we did when we married almost nine years ago. We'd been friends or a couple for the vast majority of our lives. Still, though, he surprises me from time to time, even now.

For example, he's a great, if not unorthodox, problem solver. I went to school to be a therapist and learned certain strategies for stopping children's tantrums. However, when our oldest started throwing them Scott ignored my ideas and simply said, "Stand up when you cry."
Yeah, you can imagine the look on my face! What? Of course, I'd also learned that we must be a united front while in the presence of our kids, so I didn't question him until later. By then we'd discovered that this kooky rule works!

Despite the reality that we're still learning the intricacies of each other's personalities, I thought I knew him pretty well. And I've been told how in touch with myself I am. I allow my emotions to be and understand them pretty well. I usually know why I'm reacting a certain way to things. So, I guess I thought I knew myself pretty well too.

Lately, though, I've been realizing differences in our personalities that have always been there (I remember them from high school) but I'd lost track of somehow. Scott's motivation is internal. He doesn't need to be reminded to complete a task...he's already working on it. He's very good at setting goals and reaching them. I thrive off external sources of energy. I need "atta boys!" and am influenced by what's around me. Scott is traditional and lives in various shades of blue and green. I love color, pattern, and being different.

These differences have become more apparent recently. I've been exploring my writing, realizing my excitement for the non-traditional job, and wanting to be more artistic in my hobbies. As I focus on myself as more than just mama...I can't help but notice that what we have is a love-everyone-hippy-wannabe married to her stable-and-stubborn-military man.

Luckily I'm a sucker for middle ground. If I weren't, our differences might turn us upside down!