We recently moved 3 km closer to the church.

The move went Great!

A number of people came out to help in a variety of ways; from the cleaning chores that needed to be completed in both houses to actually moving furniture and boxes from one house to the other.

Furthermore, as always in a move, it forced us to look at a lot of our stuff and ask, “Do we really need this?“

Answer: We purged!

It wasn’t until after we had moved into our new house that things took a downward turn.

The property manager from our previous home was going to hold a portion of our damage deposit for items that were an issue before we ever moved in. Nicole and I were shocked that we were being so unfairly treated.

I was angry!

We had taken excellent care of the home. My nature wanted justice and I was ready to go to battle with the property manager and the landlord. As I discussed the issue with Nicole, my words were sharp and she could see that I was not in a a negotiating mood.

These are the moments when I love being married to an introvert!

As always, she explained the possible ramifications of going into a verbal struggle with anger and harsh words. Together, we crafted our words carefully, being willing to assist with the items of concern (even though they were not our responsibility).

Nicole also connected with the provincial governing body over landlord and tenant disputes. Our case was solid. We could take them to small claims court, if we felt it was necessary. Though, settling the dispute out of court is always the best way.

Once again, Nicole’s calmer head prevailed.

We actually went over to the home (after we had moved out), to assist with some of the items that again, should not have been our responsibility. By that time, I had calmed down and we were even able to have some jovial conversation with the property manager as we were leaving.

A couple of days ago, we received our full damage deposit in the mail; without getting into verbal showdown and without going to court. I’m pretty convinced that this wouldn’t have been the case if we had taken my initial course of action.

Through this entire process, God has once again made clear the incredible gift I have in Nicole. Despite being the exact opposite in so many ways; she has the characteristics needed in very specific times, where I would otherwise destroy the situation.

This is one story of hundreds of accounts, where I’m glad I married an introvert.

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Do you and your spouse carry different personality traits? How does that help your relationship with each other and the people around you?