I recently read an article in the newspaper that the saying, ‘Opposites attract’ isn’t actually true. It’s true in some senses but not in others. Introverts and extroverts can get along, but they need to both be adventurous in the same way. For example, the introvert may prefer their own company and the extrovert may like going out three nights a week, but they both have to want to go hiking on the weekend, or something like that.
The theory that opposites attract is true for my partner and I, not in the sense of how out-going we are but how much money we like to spend. I tend to buy a lot of things, clothes, stuff for the house, expensive dinners and drinks. But my partner is a spendthrift. This usually doesn’t come to a head unless it’s something that we both mutually need and have disagreements about, for example our recent need for roof repairs. Melbourne has been raining a lot this autumn, so I’m staring at this puddle of water on the floor where our roof has leaked, telling old mate, ‘We’ve gotta get this fixed!’ I can almost see his thought processes turn into dollar signs.
Anyway, eventually I convinced him. All I had to do was point out the broken roof tiles, the moss covering half the roof, and the rotting gunk filled gutters. But this only led to further problems. When we finally called the best roofing services Melbourne city has to offer, and I got my hands on their catalogue, well… Of course I couldn’t resist browsing all of the pretty new tiles and selecting the nicest ones to make our house look extra cute. When my partner found out, he cracked it, saying that we couldn’t afford it. I said, ‘We can afford it, you’re just being stingy!’ We fought it out, but at the end of the day, we still love each other.