Am I "High-Maintenance"?

High Maintenance? I am absolutely positive that this topic has NEVER been blogged about , so hopefully I can shed some much-needed insight to this rarely discussed topic. Seriously, there are so many definitions and perceptions of "high maintenance." Perhaps you should take a look at this before reading on - What Does High-Maintenance Really Mean?

This past weekend, at a friendly gathering of running coaches, I was asked by a fellow runner and Aggie, who will be referred to as "Sul Ross," how high-maintenance I think I am, on a scale of 1 to 10. Oh lord, the dreaded high-maintenance question. I answered 5-6. He laughed and said I was more like a 9. Oh reeaaalllyyy... if I'm so high-maintenance (shortened to HM from now on), why didn't I pitch a fit that he didn't give me a perfect 10 out of 10?? We HM types supposedly seek perfection, right? The perfect body, the perfect house, the perfect job, the perfect man, the perfect hair, the perfect makeup, the perfect shoes, the perfect blog. Whatever. I am far from perfect in any of those areas. The fact that I realize that and admit it makes me not so HM.

But, I am more than willing to admit that I'm "medium maintenance." According to this quiz, I'm not as hard to deal with as some girls, but I'm not the most laid back chick either. I'm easy to deal with 90% of the time, but watch out for that 10%! I totally agree with this assessment, and I'm not ashamed, not ashamed at all. Really.

In my subjective opinion, here are a few examples of my medium maintenance-ness:
1. I do not need perfect hair and makeup every time I go out in public. In fact, most of the time I'm in a baseball cap and/or ponytail and flip-flops if I'm just running errands. But like all ladies, I do like to get dressed up for a nice evening every now and then. And, it does not take me more than an hour to get ready. In the 80s it did, but that's just because of all the hair teasing and heavy makeup. That took alot of time and effort for us girls, and for some of you guys too I bet.
2. I do not expect to be showered with gifts from my SO, although unexpected gestures (special notes, flowers, a light for my garage) make my day. I do expect, however, that doors be opened for me (or any lady for that matter). Its respectful. I'm old-fashioned that way.
3. I do not need for everything to go my way. I realize alot of my readers who know me might disagree with this. But if you really think about it, you will realize that I'm often a go-with-the-flow type in many situations (unless of course I'm PMSing, or really tired, or really hungry, or a combination of the three). Flexibility I have, spontaneity not so much. But I don't think I've ever (or at least not in a long time) pitched an all-out fit about something not going my way. In fact, I often prefer for a SO to make decisions and take charge but not in a freaky controlling way...is it HM to expect that when someone asks you out on a date that he already have something in mind to do or eat?
4. Expecting a SO to pick up after himself instead of me cleaning up after him is NOT being HM, Sul Ross. FYI.
5. Just because I'm still single at 37 does not make me HM. Yes, I admit, I have some high expectations in a SO. Why shouldn't I? I work hard, I'm career-focused, I make a good living, own a home, am close to my family and friends, and enjoy the company of fun, ambitious, interesting people who make me laugh and add something to my life. I'm not a lonely or dependent person; I enjoy alone time and don't mind not having social activities or dates every night, or even every weekend. I don't feel a void when I'm not in a relationship. I'd love to share and grow with and learn from a SO, but that has to be mutual.
6. Wiktionary definition of high maintenance: (figuratively) A person who requires a lot of attention. Example: "He has this incredibly high-maintenance girlfriend; if he doesn't tell her that he loves her every five minutes, she tends to break down into hysterical depressive weepy fits." Give me a break. That is soooo not me. I only have weepy fits, not hysterical depressive weepy fits.

I guess I could go on, but I have other things to do tonight, like painting my nails and picking out my perfectly-matching outfit for work tomorrow, with perfectly-matching shoes and purse.

Running update: I dragged my HM butt out for a 5-mile run (46 minutes) in 99 degree heat after a 10 hour day at work. OMG, my hair got sweaty. I looked terrible. I can't believe other runners saw me un-perfect. The horror! Speedwork is on tap for tomorrow evening. Another coordinating outfit I have to pick out! I finally figured out what "yassos" are - 800 meter runs that if run at a certain pace can supposedly predict your marathon time. Example, if you run 800 meters in 4 minutes, you can expect to run a 4 hour marathon. I think we have 4 of these yassos on the schedule for tomorrow, taking a 400 meter jog in between each. I don't know, but this doesn't really sound like fun.