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Different Perspectives. Marital Bliss.

Dominican Republic - 11-2009A few days after my wife and I recently celebrated our 21st anniversary we spent about a week in the Dominican Republic with our kids and some friends.  One night, I found myself mesmerized by this fountain (blurry picture above).  As I sat with a drink in hand staring at it, I was spellbound with . . . how it worked.

With the streams so consistent in volume, arc and distance, I pondered if there are separate pumps for each stream.  Or, perhaps, there is a single pump for the entire fountain with the diameter of the piping varying to control the water pressure at each nozzle.  Or, maybe even, there is some air-pressure system that regulates each stream to guarantee all are consistent.

As I was deep in thought considering this critical-to-the-state-of-the-planet problem, my wonderful wife joined me and said, “this fountain is beautiful, isn’t it?”  I responded with an answer directly out of the well–trained husband handbook, “yes it is, that’s what I was just thinking.”  In a sense, this was completely true.  I just saw the beauty of the fountain in a different way. 

I spent the rest of the evening thinking about how lucky I am.  I love the fact that my wife and I have different, but very compatible perspectives on things.  She, of course, rolled her eyes when I explained how I was thinking about it, but she was more than happy to have us both enjoying the view of the fountain each in our own way.  Me too. Turns out our entire relationship works that way.  Different views of life that the other appreciates and respects.  A key to marital bliss?  Who knows, but it works for us.

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  • DaveJ

    Straight out of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

  • DaveJ

    Straight out of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/2speed 2speed

    So true. Hadn't even thought about that. :-)

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/2speed 2speed

    So true. Hadn't even thought about that. :-)

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/2speed 2speed

    Happy 20th, Alan! My parents never even made it to 18 – and it was a crappy 18 at that. I apparently avoided those genes.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/2speed 2speed

    Happy 20th, Alan! My parents never even made it to 18 – and it was a crappy 18 at that. I apparently avoided those genes.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/alan_shimel2002 alan shimel

    Will same here. I think 12 for mine. Not sure if we avoided those genes or just learnt from their mistakes. Anyway, enjoy!

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/alan_shimel2002 alan shimel

    Will same here. I think 12 for mine. Not sure if we avoided those genes or just learnt from their mistakes. Anyway, enjoy!

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/michael Michael Koenig

    Testing. Please respond to this comment via email.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/michael Michael Koenig

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  • Gary Tarolli

    Very nice! I forwarded a link to my girlfriend since I would see the fountain like you did, and she would see it as Sandra did.

    P.S. there's a really nice fountain at the Vail ski resort, where the water streams are so perfect they look like a clear plastic tubes and they turn on/off the streams and the effect is amazing – picture a 1-3 foot long "burst" of water flowing thru the air, and then imagine 6 or more of them all in sync and making patterns as they fly thru the air. I should have taken a short video of it with my phone.

  • Gary Tarolli

    Very nice! I forwarded a link to my girlfriend since I would see the fountain like you did, and she would see it as Sandra did.

    P.S. there's a really nice fountain at the Vail ski resort, where the water streams are so perfect they look like a clear plastic tubes and they turn on/off the streams and the effect is amazing – picture a 1-3 foot long "burst" of water flowing thru the air, and then imagine 6 or more of them all in sync and making patterns as they fly thru the air. I should have taken a short video of it with my phone.