I learned some valuable lessons from April. One lesson was the importance of individuals having their own free will, even when they are in a committed relationship. This concept was tested early in our relationship when April and I were in a car together with me driving. I noticed that April did not have her seatbelt on.
I asked her if she was going to put her seatbelt on and she said maybe, and that she would think about it. I was surprised that she didn’t put it on right away when I mentioned it, and I pulled the car over to the side of the road. Since we were both in the EMS profession and knew the importance of wearing a seat belt, I couldn’t understand her reluctance.
I asked her why she wasn’t putting on her seat belt and she told me that there was a bigger issue here than whether she put her seat belt on. She said that our relationship was built on mutual love and respect and not on me telling her what to do. I thought she was being unreasonable since I was concerned about her safety.
I am stubborn so I figured that I would stay parked on the side of the road and simply wait her out. She would realize that I am right and eventually give in. Rather than acting like she was upset, every time that I looked over at April, she just gave me one of her beaming smiles but refused to buckle in.
Quite frankly, it was unnerving to me as I was upset about the situation while she seemed quite content and a little smug about the whole thing. I waited for a long time and then, finally, I said, okay April and started to pull out onto the roadway and, as soon as I did, April immediately fastened her seat belt.
I realized as I started driving down the road that I had truly met my match, that as stubborn as I can be, April was just as stubborn as I was, maybe even more so. I learned the importance of communicating and working things out with April instead of stubbornly insisting on my way.