Zero Sum Game

Financial market theory dictates that one investor's profits equal another investor's losses. This maxim is sometimes referred to as a zero sum game. Mr. Hubby, who is a Business dude, often uses this theory to describe facets of our relationship: when I'm happy that Downton Abbey is on, he's miffed that I'm stealing the TV for, as he calls it, "English Porn". When he's excited about the 10 hrs of golf tournament TV coverage, I'm bummed for obvious reasons.

So why should this house reno be any different? Before we bought our currently groovy crib, I was enamoured with the possibilities and what the "before"and "after" shots looked like in my HOUZZ*-infested brain. He, on the other hand, thought we might have taken off more than we can screw (I'm not being perverse; that's construction humor, people!).

But the minute the final papers were signed, the tables took a sharp 180. What I originally had referred to as a "quirky" floor plan became just weird. And the whole patriotic second floor, which had made me smile so before purchase, became an overwhelming to-do list. At that point, Mr. Hubby took on my enthusiasm and revelled in the great deal we had gotten and how, with enough work, this could be our dream house.

Fast forward to this past weekend. Despite the house's current state, spring sunshine was flooding all the windows, and visions for improving each and every room were spinning in my little brain. I became excited once again. Meanwhile, Mr. Hubby was taking down a soffit in one of the bathrooms and having quite the hard time of it. Insulation was pouring on his head, as the wood refused to surrender to his claw bar. At that point, I came into the room singing the house's praises and telling him all my plans. He told me to shut up, and since he had a powerful tool in his had, I succumbed immediately.

Zero sum game, yet again. I guess it's a good thing. If we were both positive at the same time, the universe's magnetic field might lose its power. You've got to have the opposites attracting -- yin and yang and all that. And God forbid, we should both be negative at the same time. We might run screaming from the peeling paint and super-glued wallpaper, never to return again.

So I'll embrace the zero sum game that is our lives. I guess it's gotten us 22 years of marriage. Surely, it can gets us through a house renovation -- I hope ...

*Houzz.com is a website for wanna-be home designers like myself.