No maintenance required. Low - medium - high maintenance required. Uber-maintenance required.
Using the five levels above, where would you place yourself on a maintenance required continuum? How closely would your self-assessment of where you are on that continuum match up with how others - especially those who know you well - see you?
While on our recent adventure to Yosemite National Park with Road Scholar, I reflected quite a bit on how grateful I am that my partner of forty-seven + years requires such low maintenance. Although I've known this since our first date in April of 1978, spending time with groups and observing what others seem to require as minimum maintenance invariably amplifies my gratitude for her.
What does my gratitude for her low maintenance requirements say about me? How many of you in long-term partnerships have ever considered this angle, i.e., some of the reasons why we gravitate toward certain people based on how much heavy lifting we think we might have to do? I'm reasonably sure my selfishness has had a lot to do with the people I've been most drawn to throughout my life, including my partner. Under no circumstances could I ever see myself responding well to someone having what I considered to be trendy, frivolous, or expensive tastes. Nor could I see myself attracted to anyone who equated either stuff or undivided attention and adoration with affection. I'm too attached to my own exceedingly modest needs to react favorably to anyone at the higher end of that continuum.
Not that I'd ever be in the running for anyone like that anyway. I'm certain that any person requiring a high or above level of maintenance would quickly surmise that I'm not cut out for heavy lifting.
Hello, PAt. Let me start by quoting Thomas Jefferson, Hamilton Soundtrack, Act Two .."What'd I Miss?"
ReplyDeleteSO, this is a rather interesting post and one, that I dare say, could very easily get one into some trouble if not commented carefully - lol. So, with that in mind I will comment on how I see myself and how others may see me as opposed to how I see anyone. I consider myself to be fairly low maintenance as I try/tend to take things as easily as I can with the proper amount of humor. However, I can very easily move rather quickly up the ranks you've listed above with, sadly, little effort depending on the situation. How others see me would depend on the person you ask. My lovely wife will usually consider me to be pretty easy going. But ... there's bias there. Others - If I'm being honest with what I think - maybe someone in between low and medium.
Interesting exercise. Thanks,
Be well,
Bob
Bob; I’m responding to all of the comments you made yesterday (6/6) while waiting on my delayed flight home from LA. Appreciate how many comments you made in one sitting; your continued support of my blog means a great deal to me
ReplyDeleteI loved this post. I am reasonably low maintenance as is my husband. Works for us! (And, I don't think either of us would fare well with a high maintenance individual.)
ReplyDeleteInes; Thanks for the comment. Aren't we both fortunate to have found people reasonably close to us with respect to how much maintenance is required?
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