Wednesday Sal went to Yoga and a community meeting.  I went back to messing with the tower fitting.  It was a strategic division of interests and it worked.  We both seem to be collaborating nicely on planning today’s ascent of the tower and what is going to go where.  Mind you, we are still both in the house and breakfast is still standing in the way of any action but I am optimistic.  This turbine-thing may happen.

Relationships are funny things.  Clearly Sally and I are not alike (and thank God for that!) and that includes all sorts of things like attitude, thinking, interests and, of course, the big ones: gender and power imbalance. So the relationship is, for all intents and purposes, a study in compromise.  Find the place where the differences don’t matter and the similarities can prevail.  “Seek harmony in all things, little butterfly”.  In other words: do it her way.  So, I spent yesterday making sure everything fit and the assembly of the turbine will be easy and simple.

And then I did the dishes.  Can’t hurt?  Right? 

Actually, making a relationship work is more than just capitulation.  It is more than surrender.  It is more than acquiescence.  It is also about learning.  It is about learning what more there is other than surrender.  That’s what makes it so challenging.  I am still learning.  I have no idea what else it is yet but I will be sure to pass it on if Sal let’s me.  She edits this, you know. 

It is easy to get along if you remain prone in the door-mat position.  I learned that at Yoga.  It was at a special males-only class. 

Oh, I am only kidding.  You know that.  I am allowed to sit up.  Hell, I even have my own chair.  At first I thought it conveyed some kind of special status having my  ‘favourite’ chair and all until I saw the same principle at work with the dogs.  “Here you go, Fiddich.  Your own special house, sweetie.  Your own special little dog-house.  Just for you.  And here’s your own special bone.  Just for you.”  So now I know that the chair is where I am supposed to be and it is a subtle limitation rather than a perk.  Still, the chair is nice and Sal throws me the odd figurative bone now and then.  The part I really hate is that she insists we go for a walk all the time.  Says it’s ‘good for the pack’.  Mind you, me and the dogs are bonding more these days………….