Big Wins

Some say marriage is all about compromise, but certainly some battles are bigger than others. When moving into a new home there are all kinds of tensions and decisions to be made. These can be made together as a team or unilaterally, preferably by the one between you who is the font of knowledge on the particular topic. Sometimes I see fit to proclaim myself resident expert on one thing or another.

When we were moving into this home in Madison, I KNEW the exact right spot for the cutting boards. It was perfect and upon seeing the location for the first time I instantly thought - "cutting boards". As if every person, for all time, when seeing the shape and placement of this small nook would arrive at the same conclusion. Even without prior knowledge of what a cutting board was, or that it existed, one would see this void and react with the invention of a board, on which to cut things, as the object that should occupy this place. The context of the room (a kitchen) and the microenvironment of what I will call the cutting board nest imposed itself on the psyche of all those who gazed upon it. Lauren protested, but I remained steadfast to my intuition and the will of the cutting board nest. To this day the boards reside in that perfect spot. Little victories be damned, you gotta go big or go home in this marriage game.

Postscript: Our marriage has what I consider to be a pretty balanced yin and yang with respect to these compromises. I may have cashed in all my karmatic credits on this cutting board thing and hope it doesn't cause me to come up short in the next family planning discussion.