Most people work some sort of job in order to spend their leisure time doing something they enjoy. Some people are the avid outdoor types, while others are more comfortable with the indoor amenities of life. Some people enjoy being active; they enjoy skiing, traveling, playing sports, scuba diving, etc., while others are content with being a couch potato and rarely sweat, even for sex. Are two partners who have completely different recreational styles incompatible? Not necessarily.
Again, a compromise between the two may be necessary. If one partner’s needs are met at the expense of the other’s there will surely be problems in the relationship. However, if each partner understands not to collect running water, and allows the other partner to express his/her own needs, compatibility between the two types is possible.
My Sister Sure Loves Playing Softball
It seems as though my youngest sister has played softball all of her life. When she was a mere child, she would attend our dad’s softball games. While there, she would retreat under the bleachers where she would pretend and play her own imaginary games. In high school she was the star player. In college, she played well enough to earn herself a full-ride scholarship.
After graduating from college, her enthusiasm for the game remained intact; she played on no less than five teams in three separate city leagues. My sister sure loves playing softball.
After my sister got married, and despite her husband’s objections, she still wanted to play on as many teams and in as many leagues as she had in the past. This point of contention between her and her husband eventually spilled over into the extended families. She made family members choose sides and goaded them to express their opinion. Soon enough our mother became concerned about the matter, and confidently told my sister that she needed to scale back her involvement with softball. Of course my sister balked at the suggestion and began to argue and rationalize with our mom.
Our mom told my sister that she either needed to scale back her involvement with her various softball leagues or that she needed to join a coed league and include her husband in at least half of the activities. Despite some initial stubborn resistance, my sister realized the wisdom of our mom’s suggestions and soon gave in to some of her husband’s demands. They joined a couple of leagues together and have ended up taking first place in the adult competitive leagues every summer.
