We’ve all heard the expression that opposites attract.  This statement is the overarching theme of my marriage to my great, but completely opposite husband.  I grew up as a “Crest kid”, my husband is a loyal Colgate user; I grew up drinking Pepsi, my husband, Coke; I grew up in a house full of girls (except for my dad), my husband grew up in a house full of guys (except for his mom); I’m a planner and my husband flies by the seat of his pants.  I could go on and on, but I’ll spare you the details.  I’ll just say that one of our most notable differences is the fact that I’m very organized by nature (surprise!) and my husband definitely isn’t.  I do have to give him enormous credit because he’s taken on some of my organized ways to make me happy and help me keep my sanity.

Every now and then my over-organization and my husband’s lack of organization becomes a point of contention.  My husband’s tendency to lay his clothes on anything and everything sticks out in my mind the most.  It was a normal occurrence to find the outfit he had worn to work that day draped over the back of a chair, a bench, and even our bedroom lamp!  For a while, my nightly ritual consisted of collecting the scattered clothing and hanging it in his closet.  After all, I was the only one bothered by the mess, so why should I expect my husband to hang up his clothes at the end of each day if he was okay with them strewn about.  The ritual of hanging his clothes lasted quite a while, but I began to feel myself losing it.  Just the thought of picking up after someone day in and day out began to drive me crazy, and somewhat resentful.

I had a few options I could pursue.  I could continue hanging his clothes each day, start the stereo-typical nagging technique…or buy an over-the-door hook!  Yes, a simple solution, but a definite “aha” moment for me.  Problem solved – my husband now just uses the over-the-door hooks to hang anything he doesn’t feel like hanging in his closet.  The hooks are on the back of his closet door, so everything is out of sight.

Sometimes a simple solution can go a long way in saving your sanity!

(by Lisa Hartig)