Your Votes, Please.

Blog community, we come to you. Mr. Pigs and I would like for you to weigh in on a little debate we're having. A discussion. A ponderance, if you will. I suggested seeking opinions from others, naturally, my blog. It's public, it's opinionated, and we don't know most of you. And so Mr. Pigs agreed. Here we go. A point-counterpoint for your reading pleasure.

Pigs:

It has been brought to my attention that I complain about the same thing every day. I'm tired, worn out, in need of a break from Piglet, and my left arm is feeling shaky. The thing is, these things are true every day. It was brought to my attention that I also complained about feeling tired and worn out every day after school, long before Piglet, and that Mr. Pigs has had to listen to my sentiments regarding various states of my everlasting chronic fatigue for nine years. It is true. I have been tired for nine years at the end of each work day. I have held two particularly draining jobs: teaching and Pigleting.

I complain because I want someone to hear me. I complain so that someone might say, "Man, that's tough. Here, put your feet up. Have a beer." I think it's okay to say these things every day. Then I tell him about the rest of my day. Mr. Pigs rarely tells me much about work, though I kind of like to hear other people complain. In teaching, it's a sport of sorts, the complaining.

So, the dealbreaker came when he suggested that I work on not telling him that I'm tired every day, just on the days when it's particularly debilitating*. So I should just keep it to myself and not burden him with anything unpleasant. Only tell him events of roses and sunshine and sugar and spice. You know, keep things peppy. Peppy and perky. I feel that this is insensitive.

*Note: To his defense, Mr. Pigs has never spent an entire (6:30am-6:00pm) day alone with Piglet, plus the daily chores and errands.

Mr. Pigs:

I think some clarification is in order. Every day when I hear the same complaints, I do say, "I'm sorry, why don't you lie down or take a relaxing bath tonight?" So I do not tune it out. But do you understand that after hearing the same complaint day after day, that it gets to the point where it's no longer noteworthy? It's like saying the sun came up today, gas prices went up, and Rosie O'Donnell said something stupid - you know, same stuff, different day. Pigs claims to be exactly the same level of tired every day (which is physically impossible). Thus, my concept of only complaining when it is a truly uncommon level of fatigue was met with a blank stare.

Also, and this is maddening, she tells me that if I got home at 5 PM instead of 6 PM, she wouldn't complain! How is it that you're uncommonly tired at the end of every day, but this accelerated manifestation of fatigue only happens in the last hour?

Just because I don't come in the door saying, "I'm tired" doesn't mean I'm not tired. I get that all day with Piglet is not easy. I think she does a wonderful job and frankly makes herself so tired because she absolutely refuses to compromise on him, and I respect that. I love to hear about their day together. But here's the key clarification - telling me "I'm tired and my left arm is shaky" tells me nothing of your day. It only tells me the end result of the day.

Am I really so wrong?

Pigs:

1. I do tell him of our day.....after I clearly state my level of fatigue and detail my general maladies.

2. Yes, there is an acceleration of fatigue in the last hour. It is rapid and intense. This hour is when the left arm begins its aforementioned infernal quaking.

3. Sympathy, please!

Mr. Pigs:

1. "Infernal quaking"?? Laying it on a little thick, isn't it? See, complaining!!
2. For the record, from this point forward, sympathy for her day is automatically granted, without requiring swooning and embellishment.


So there you have it, good readers. Do share your wise words.