Division of Labor
When Wonder Woman and I were a new couple, we lived in a house with a pool in the yard. In case you didn't know, pools are a giant PIA. One day, the pump just quit working. It wasn't all that old, but it seems that few things last very long anymore. In situations like that, my inclination is to make phone calls, to a plumber, a pool guy or a general handyman, until I can find someone to come resolve my problem. My wife's mind does not work like mine. She inspected the pump, got the specs, ordered a replacement overnight from Amazon, and the next day, she installed it be herself. She is a CPA by trade, and I don't think they teach that in accounting school.
I was a lot handier early in life when I could not afford to hire people to fix things. I let those skills atrophy when I finally made enough money to pay someone else to relieve me of the burden of handyman duty. Computers are the only thing I enjoy working on. Wonder Woman uses some of her vices as tools to get things done. She is not known for her patience. One of the reasons she is so quick to repair plumbing and electrical issues is that when she takes care of those things, it eliminates having to wait on someone else's schedule. Although she is generally friendly and personable, she is a true introvert. Having a stranger in the house who might talk to her or ask her questions is one of her least favorite things on the planet. In the entire time we have been married, she has never answered the door when I was home. That is my job and I don't really mind.
There's just the two of us at home, and the division of labor falls more heavily on her than it does on me. I am responsible for cooking dinner. Cooking is one of my talents and enjoyable when I have the time. . Since I went back to work, however, we have been eating things that can be prepared quickly. We used a meal service, one of those that mails you food, for a while, but it eventually became repetitive. I've promised to go back to cooking from scratch when I retire for good. I am also responsible for the yard, which at one time meant that I mowed it once a week, but now means that I am the one to write the check to Juan, our yard guy. He needs to get Venmo!
I help fold clothes. Sometimes. I unload the dishwasher. Occasionally. We have a housekeeping service in a couple of times a month and I sort of help straighten up before they come. Mostly, I am spoiled. Wonder Woman moves fast and in the span of time it takes me to figure out how to do most things, she has already done them. It isn't weaponized incompetence on my part. She is just faster at doing everything than anyone else around her. It doesn't matter what the task is or who the other parties are. On group bike rides full of alpha males from all walks of life, when someone has a flat tire, she's the one who usually changes everyone's tube for them. She is just good like that.
She doesn't even like me to fix her IT problems unless it is something truly devilish. I've only been doing computer support for 30 years. She'd rather get mad and scare her laptop into acting right than she would hand it to me so I can figure out what's going on. She's classic Type A over achiever material. I can't tell you how many times I've been chastised for the sin of walking all the way across a parking lot without having the keys out and ready to use when I get to the car. She starts rolling her eyes the second she sees me stop at the car to dig around in my pockets. I don't know what she planned to do with those three extra seconds, but it was undoubtably critical.
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