Comfort Zones

I have a bubble around me, it is my comfort zone, my blankie or my snuggy, if you will. I say it's literal, but my husband has convinced himself that it's figurative. For some reason I appreciate space. Maybe it is because I am an only child, so I wasn't exposed to privacy or space issues. I'm not one of those "huggy" people either, even if I know you.

Different people have different comfort zones or levels. My mother-in-law can have complete conversations with strangers on a daily basis, she doesn't seem to have a comfort zone, she's just nice to everyone. We have told her several times that she is too nice for California! My husband is very sociable and people tend to love him; however, he doesn't like to be in big crowds.

I am not very sociable therefore in this texting/emailing world, I am completely comfortable. We are symbiotic. The one thing that I absolutely hate is ordering food. It doesn't matter if it is on the phone or in person, I just have no love for it at all.

For as long as I can remember, my husband and I have argued over whose turn it was to call the pizza delivery or Chinese take-out place. Fortunately for me, my husband is a wonderful enabler and allows me to convince him to order whatever is needed. This method worked for years until the wonderful invention of online ordering. Both of us feel better because I am now able to contribute something when ordering food.

When Military Dad wants to order something and he decides he is going to force me to act out this process, I will make sure that our choices are companies that have online ordering. Once again, he is an enabler and allows me to get away with this. This went on for months, until one day he decided to stop enabling me.

It all started with a trip to the beach. On the way there we noticed a Sonic and we decided that it was Cherry Limeades and Tots on the way home. MD starts teasing me relentlessly about not being able to order; even going so far as to comment on my anti-social habits.

Despite his best efforts, we had a wonderful time at the beach. Upon arriving at Sonic, MD decided from out of nowhere that I should order. I tell myself, "It's going to be okay, you are ordering 4 Diet Cherry Limeades and 4 Tots, how hard can it be?"

Yep! This is where that connection from my brain to mouth malfunctions at its finest. Please read Military Dad's post about the conversation, because honestly it's so horrific, I can't revisit it or I will need more therapy. What should have taken maybe a minute to order, took about 4 minutes and a Sonic employee almost in tears. It was that bad.

Evidently, I should have gone through this horrifying experience years ago, because now MD doesn't even bring up who is going to order anymore. If he wants food that doesn't have online ordering, he makes the call. I think he also feels at this point that he isn't enabling me anymore, he is saving me and several food employees from therapy. It's a win-win for both of us.