Brief Thoughts On Marital Bliss

My Beloved Curmudgeon and I have a reasonably happy marriage. Most of the time we get along well, enjoy the same things, have basically the same views (I'm not quite as hard-core as he is), think the same things are funny and have the same cynical outlook on life. In between those times we tolerate each other as best we can. The content times last longer now than the 'why am I putting up with this?' times. There have been times, over the years, that it was the other way around. Maybe as time has gone by we've both mellowed out a little and gotten a little more accepting of each other's eccentricities. I have learned a few things along the way about marriage. So I'll pass along a few of my little pearls of wisdom ... (Lucky whoever is reading this!) From the beginning I noticed that he and I are at approximately the same level of sloppiness. We are pretty much equals in the amount of messiness we can stand. As I was piddlin' around the house this weekend, straightening and cleaning I was struck with that reality once again. We both work more than full time in demanding, stressful jobs. Neither of us feel like cleaning and scrubbing when we get home. So I do most of my cleaning on the weekend. But I can't avoid the fact that in the last few years that my housekeeping has definitly gone downhill. I should hire someone, but I have to get the house clean enough to hire someone to clean (g). So I still do it myself. Whenever I start cleaning, he gets up and empties the trashcans. It doesn't matter how much is in the trashcans, it can be one single piece of paper. But he'll go around the house emptying all the trash cans. Equal labor??? I think he feels he should be doing something since I'm cleaning. So for today's little pearl of wisdom: One of the keys to marital bliss is compatablity in the amount of slovenliness that is acceptable to both parties in the relationship. goede nacht