A funny thing- Keith and I were talking about underlying perspectives and attitudes this weekend. Basically, people who seem more pessimistic, people who seem more optimistic, and how that seems to effect daily interactions, successes, failures, etc.. And then we talked about ourselves, and agreed that we're both pretty much realists, we're pretty pragmatic, we're kind of even-keeled.
And I lay there thinking, yes, we're both pretty even-keeled, but I think I'm a little more optimistic than you are. At which point Keith turned to me and said something along the lines of, "Yeah, we're pretty even-keeled, but I think I'm a little more optimistic than you are." As it turns out, each of us thinks we're ever so slightly more optimistic than the other. Which makes sense if you think about it.
We have some differences is temperament and disposition, but we're very much alike when it comes to goals, values, interests. But I'm a little more idealistic than Keith, and a little more dramatic. Sometimes I get overly excited, or overly upset about something. And when I have a little dramatic meltdown, I'm sure what that looks like to Keith is me being ever so slightly less optimistic when he has to lift me up. And Keith is a little more grounded, and a little more of a worry-wart than I am. So when he's chewing endlessly on a problem that I think is eventually going to work itself out anyway, what that looks like to me is him being ever so slightly less optimistic when I have to lift him up.
And so that's the way it goes. The way it all works out in practice, is that we're both really good at lifting the other up anytime it's needed. And we both benefit from it. They say opposites attract, but Keith and I are more like complementary counterparts. And we are both fairly pragmatic, and realistic. So we walk along the same line, and we counterbalance. How lucky am I, are we, to have each other to lean on?
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