The Optimist and the Pessimist

I have called myself an odd perpetual optimist for as long as I can remember.  I get down and out, just like anyone, but I can't help but always have hope for the future, I can't help but always think the best of people and I can't help but keep trying.

Some might say that this is a character flaw, and Lord knows I've been burned when giving people second chances, or thinking the best of people that didn't deserve it.  But I still believe in living life with a positive outlook.  Why bother to get out of bed at all if you don't?

My husband is a pessimist.  He didn't used to be, but I chock it up to having PTSD.  It clouds so much of your outlook on life that I know he can't help but never see the good in anything.  He never sees a reason to hope for the future.

The other day, we discovered that we will have a slew of mutual days off of work.  I lay next to him in bed and put my arms around him and told him how nice it will be to see him and spend some time with him for a while.  He responded by telling me that he didn't really know if it would be any good.  All we do is fight when we have mutual days off, so chances are that's all we will do this time around.

It's true, we fight, but it can be hard not to when you never see each other and never talk.  Mutual days off won't fix anything if we can't communicate.  But that's now what he sees the cause of our fights to be. 

So I guess I will just have to be extra optimistic to be enough for both of us.