THE BATTLE OF THE THERMOSTAT

Many, many moons ago, when I was younger, I would get cold.  I would say to my loving husband, “I am cold.  I am going to turn the thermostat up.”  At which point, my loving husband would say, “Go put on a sweater.”

I would, being the obedient wife that I am, go put on a sweater.

Now fast forward many, many moons and you will find a complete role reversal.  My dear, loving husband gets cold and says, “Can we please turn the thermostat up? It is so cold you could hang meat in here.”

And, being the obedient wife that I am, I tell him, “Go put on a sweater.  I will turn it back up when I am done working.”

For some reason, my body thermostat got stuck after gall bladder surgery.  I get hot!  When I am cleaning house, I get hot.  When I am working on a project, I get hot.  When I am doing laundry, I get hot.  When I get hot, I kick the air conditioner on high.

When I kick the AC on high, my dear, sweet hubby freezes.  When you see him sitting outside, in the 98-degree temperature, you can be sure he is trying to thaw out.

Are you thinking that maybe, just maybe I am exaggerating?  Let me think.  Still thinking.  Nope.  Not exaggerating.

But I have changed during these many, many moons.  I have learned a whole lot more than how to turn the thermostat down.

• I learned how to be a wife.  Okay, I am still working on that.
• I learned how to cook.  And, no I did not know how to cook when we got married.
• I learned how to change a baby’s diaper.  A cloth diaper that used large safety pins to attach the back to the front so it did not fall off and I cried more than once because I stuck the poor, innocent baby instead of the diaper.
• I learned how to move to a new community.  If you have never moved, you have no idea how hard it is to walk into a church for the first time.
• I learned how to read the Bible.  Actually, reading the Bible is a learning experience each time I open it.

I have learned a lot since I joined the group called “adult.”  For full disclosure, there are parts of childhood I have kept.  I love to blow bubbles.  I have an imagination.  I can still look at a cloud and see an animal.

BUT, as an adult, I have learned that other people are not perfect.  This revelation was a surprise, because I thought everyone had it together except me.  I cannot always have my way.  Sometimes it is better to order a pizza.  Babies will survive the occasional stick with a safety pin.  And no matter how many times I read the Bible; I will find passages that just do not make sense.

Over these many, many moons I have changed and I will keep changing.  I am not the Mary I was and I am not the Mary I will be. 

Oh my.  A new me.  This should be fun.