What’s good for the goose…

So, surely we all have those things in marriage that we wish we could change in our spouses. You know, those petty habits of theirs that aren’t going to make or break the marriage, but that you just really wish they would fix already!!! We’re not the only ones, right?

So, for me, it’s Bald Man’s lack of calling when he’s coming home late from work. It is so frustrating to have a meal warm on the table (I’m sure I’ve done that a few times at least!) only to have it go cold by the time he gets home. It’s not as if I don’t realize that he’s going to have to work late from time to time, but would it kill him to pick up the phone?!?!

This got a bit better when we got Skype. Now we send a message or two during the day, and he tells me when he’s shutting down to come home. There are times, though, when he shuts down, only to get in a conversation with a co-worker that lasts another 40 minutes or so. Again, I don’t care, but could you just give a call to let me know that you’re not lying in a ditch at the side of the road? I just want him to change!!!

As with every story, there’s another side to things. I happen to have a few annoying habits of my own, or so I’ve heard. One happens to be the, “I’ll be right there. Just give me 5 minutes.” Or, “I’m just gonna read one more chapter, then I’ll come up.” An hour or 8 chapters later and I’m finally getting around to doing what I said I would do in 5 minutes or after one more chapter.

I’m not a very good estimator of time. I always think things will take about 15 minutes less to accomplish than they do. I always think I’ll have the self-restraint to stop reading a book after one chapter, only to get caught up and read half the book before I can put it down. My thought is, though, that I’ve always been like this. Always. And Bald Man knows these things about me. He’s been with me for 16 years already. Shouldn’t he just accept that this is a part of me and move on? Really, it shouldn’t be a surprise anymore, should it?!?! It’s not as if I do it on purpose. It’s not as if I’m trying to be mean. I just lose track of time.

So, in a situation where I want him to change for my benefit, I also want him to accept me for the way I am for my benefit. Probably not all that fair, aye? I hate it when I realize things like this, for now I have to either change myself, or accept his bad habit, neither of which seems all that appealing.

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