Being different is okay.

So, I lucked out big time in the husband lotto. I got a handsome Southern gentleman who is whip-smart, and all I had to do to find him was run a marathon, get addicted to a certain running website, and agree to spend a weekend with a total stranger. Our love story is pretty cool, by the way.

As lucky as I was we were to find each other, I feel like we're even luckier to be good partners, too. We don't exactly come from the same ilk, so our compatibility can sometimes be shocking. Do you remember this gem from pre-breakdown-on-national-television-Paula Abdul?

Opposites Attract (Women Love Cartoon Cats)

We aren't as opposite as Paula and the tomcat (in that we are both born of the same species), but we do have some differences.

For instance, Barrett is into things like Science, Running Fast, Treating Third Degree Burns, and Being Generally Successful at Life. I, on the other hand, am more into things that allow me to be comfortable, things like Jogging At a Conversational Pace, Hitting the Snooze Button, Being Content, and Avoiding Places Where Communicable Diseases Run Rampant. (As a back story, Barrett is now a Certified Nurse Assistant, meaning he can take your blood pressure, wipe your butt, and [if you're lucky] assist a doctor in the scraping and disinfecting of your open wound--more an that in another post).

Barrett attended a university with a romantic history and significant athletic culture; I attended a university that was younger than my parents and encouraged things like walking around barefoot.

At this very moment, Barrett is cleaning the kitchen while his made-from-scratch pasta sauce cooks down. When we picked meals to cook this week, I chose dishes that were almost already prepared (hello, boxed soup!) and involved minimal utensils (because finger foods are fun and only require a quick chop with the knife). Barrett still thinks cooking enjoyable, while I think it's something that distracts from easier things, like assembling a PB&J for dinner.

Now, I don't mean to say that Barrett is better than me. Let's face it, the things I'm in to (see: sleeping in), are pretty awesome. Barrett is in to awesome things, too (see: biochemistry), but while Barrett can understand and enjoy what I'm into (sleep), I can only merely pronounce what he's into (Le Chatelier's Principle -- apparently scientists speak Latin and French).

I'm not quite sure how we fit together so well. Barrett could probably find some science-y explanation, but I like to think that we simply balance each other out. When he's been sketching molecules for hours on end (they all look like Stop signs), I can be the one to suggest a quesadilla and Modern Family episode. When I want to hit snooze for the Nth time, he can present me with a rational argument for getting out of bed ("You will be late for work").

I love Barrett for all the reasons he's different than me, and I think he loves me because I'm different, too. I'm there when Barrett needs an easy-run day, and Barrett's there when I need to win my office March Madness pool.

We're different but kind of the same, and that makes us pretty okay together.