Asking who wears the pants in a relationship is a little outdated.
Asking who controls the aux cord—now that’s a much more modern indicator of a couple’s dynamics.
So he likes jazz. But as much as you try you can’t shake the feeling you are sitting in Starbucks or watching the credits roll for a Charlie Brown holiday special.
So he likes Kanye. But the only reason you know his new album is called The Life of Pablo is because the Kardashians are always reppin’ the merchandise.
So he likes NPR. And you’re all about current events too, but that’s not quite the soundtrack you had in mind for a bop down to Dairy Queen.
Inevitably, two people in any relationship are going to have different interests. Just because your every preference does not align doesn’t mean the relationship is doomed; it just means you’ve both got a little exploring to do.
Which, ironically, is the fun part. How boring would a relationship be if you both liked the EXACT same things? Digging around in each other’s treasure troves of interests is like garage saling. If you take the time to sift past the Hawaiian shirts and little league trophies, you are bound to score a mega gem or two that you would have never found anywhere else except in someone’s driveway.
That being said, as fun as it can be to explore someone’s interests, do not feel the need to forsake your own. If you like country music, OWN IT. Don’t buckle or pretend you don’t know every single word to every Sam Hunt song ever because he made a jab at country one time. You like what you like and your opinions aren’t wrong. That’s the beauty of opinions—no one can discount what makes you happy.
And if they do try to knock your interests, maybe it’s worth reconsidering if they even deserve to be sharing your aux cord. It’s one thing to tease each other in jest, because who doesn’t have a couple quirks? If my garage sale didn’t have enough junk to giggle at, my DVR brimming with 78 episodes of Bizarre Foods is definitely a little eyebrow raising. BUT there is a difference between jest and spite. Don’t let someone fool you into thinking your interests suck because they don’t—that person just probably does.
Even if you don’t fall in love with each other’s interests, at the very least both can always respect those differences. Just like the garage sale—the nature of the game is always a gamble and no one expects you to buy it all, but the least you can do for each other is show up and get sifting.
Explore someone else’s interests, but maintain your own.
And share the aux cord. He can like Kanye. You can like country. The world will keep spinning.
