How Wide The Divide

The day after my last post, we checked out of our hotel and went in search of a camp ground. The following events were a perfect example of some of the huge differences between me and Richard (which have become more apparent than ever over the last 14 days).

Richard had it in his mind that he wanted to find a rural campsite off in the middle of nowhere (NOTE: he’d done extensive research into the pros and cons of this, and we were both on board for it – although I at least wanted to have the human stamp of a fire ring or something). We started the processes by making some calls, only to realize that all the government offices were closed due to a holiday. No worries; we’ll just drive off into the Tonto National Forest and find a site. Easy, right? Well, not when the GPS takes you the ranger’s office, which we’ve already established was useless to us this particular Monday.

So, we pulled into a gas station to get an atlas and pout for a minute. I took that opportunity to look up a real campsite (a touch of nature mingled with civilization). After all, we’d been on this goose chase for almost two hours by then, and I just wanted somewhere to settle down and work for the rest of the day. It was definitely time for Plan B.

Too bad Richard doesn’t seem to believe in Plan Bs, and off we went in our continued search of the “ideal.” So, we spent the next SIX HOURS driving out a tank of gas as we ping-ponged our way across the greater Phoenix area.

As we went into the Tonto National Forest (we’d finally found a camping area with a name), it was after dark, and I thought I was going to have a panic attack. I saw wolves! And then I started thinking about everything else I couldn’t see; scorpions, spiders, rattlesnakes. The desert is no joke.

In the end, we were met with yet another dead end. Finally, finally, we decided to call it a (wasted) day and we checked into a hotel.

Now, the point I meant to illustrate with this long narrative is the difference between me and my husband. When it’s time for action, I first ask myself, “Can this be done?” If yes, then I think of what it will take and ask, “Do I want to do it?” If yes, I start the process, always leaving the exit door open with this question, “Do I still want to do it?”  I am all about cutting my losses and going to plan B when the situation calls for it.

Richard, on the other hand, just stops at “Can this be done?” If yes, then he straps on his cape and goes for it – no matter how many brick walls he has to smash through.

And so this adventure begins, already proving that this will be as much of a maze into the dynamics of our relationship as it is anything else.