Putting It All Together

I just assembled the weed-whacker which has been sitting in the box in our garage for months.  The yard is in serious need of something a bit more tailored than mowing accomplished via a rider.  I guess I should have known when we purchased it that the assembly job would be mine.  Tradition would make it a job for the man in the house, but....


When I was in high school, we took a battery of tests that were supposedly designed to help us determine a career path.  The guidance counselor laughingly told me that I had bested all the males in the class on the test of mechanical aptitude.  Given my strong math ability, he probably should have suggested that I go into mechanical engineering, but thinking about women in that type of field hadn't quite hit the social landscape.  I headed off to nursing school.


During the early years of our marriage, my husband assembled toys for the kids and furniture and whatever else.  However, I noted that he found this very frustrating.  He is a perfectionist, and if everything didn't line up correctly or a screw was missing, the project really bogged down.  Eventually I decided that I was better equipped for the task.  I think it started over thirty years ago with a sandbox that had seats and an awning.


I actually enjoy working through assembly instructions.  It is rather like solving a puzzle.  My husband is very good at jigsaw puzzles and Sudoku.  He just doesn't see assembling things as a game or a challenge.


We needed a new lock on the back door of our previous home.  We purchased the new lock and it sat in our kitchen for months....probably close to a year.   He was certain that the screws in the package were too long, and he refused to get into the project and problem solve along the way.  Finally, I tackled the job while he was at work.  He was right.  The screws were too long, but the instructions said that if you found that to be true, you could break them off at a line which had been scored for that purpose.  I was not physically strong enough to break the screws, but I knew there was a vise and a hacksaw in the basement.  When he came home he said, "Oh, you found someone to fix the lock."


So today when he comes home, he is going to trip over the weed-whacker just outside the back door.  Fortunately for me, he actually seems to enjoy yard work.


Marriage partners should divide tasks by what they do well and enjoy.  Forget about tradition.  If neither of you can do a project, hire someone.  It's worth the price to avoid conflict.