Compromise – Settlement in which each side makes concessions. Something midway. To bargain, to give and take. (Websters New World Dictionary)
I am an only child. I don’t Compromise well. My definition of Compromise is Nobody Is Happy.
I have friends who decided they wanted to get out of the snow and ice where they live for a week in January. He wanted to go to Arizona to a cattle ranch – work with the ranchers, enjoy the warm air and the ambiance of being around a group of dedicated individuals who make their living in a different way than he has ever known. She wanted to go to Florida, stay right on the beach, enjoy coffee on the lanai, take walks, enjoy the feel of her toes in the sand, read good books, dine out every evening at a beautiful seaside restaurant and basically be lazy. She didn’t want the dude ranch and he didn’t want the ocean. The Compromised and went to Chicago – a city that they hadn’t visited before. It was cold, it was snowy, it was congested. He complained about everything including the high prices of everything. She was miserable. He wouldn’t go anywhere with her so he just stayed in the hotel watching the same television shows he watches at home. Nobody Was Happy.
I have other friends who suddenly found themselves empty nesters and they seemed to have no purpose in life. They felt very estranged from each other as well. They went to a prominent couple’s therapist who assured them that many others feel as they did. She suggested that they should spend quality time together doing things that they would both enjoy. So they found themselves sitting on the sofa together, holding hands and watching television. He wanted to watch old movies and she wanted to watch the History Channel. They couldn’t agree on what to watch, so they decided that they would trade off evenings watching what each wanted to watch then it was their turn. Nobody Was Happy.
We visited friends once in a lovely city. We wanted Italian food. They wanted German food. We settled for an American steak house. Nobody Was Happy.
I don’t Compromise. I don’t settle for something that just doesn’t fit with my life. I’m not alone either – however, that being said, many people tell me that they just go along with whatever is proposed to them. They say that they just make the best of it. I don’t see any “best of it” possibilities. I’m an only child. I Am Happy.