Our Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey Argument

We had an incident over the holidays.  I was taking our daughter to an appointment and called home when we were fixing to leave.  My sweetie told me that he had finished a run for my chickens and he and my father and son had moved them.

Then he mentioned the blood.  Lots of blood.

Now, this is where things get interesting.  Not only was I mom/wife/daughter to someone who might be injured, but I am also the house medic and my background was emergency management.  I needed details.  Now.  But the more I asked, the longer he seemed to take, laughing and pausing.  I was furious and desperate.  Was my son bleeding?  Did the rooster catch him in the face or in the eye?  Was my father injured?  Was it a puncture wound that would require close watch for infection and perhaps a tetanus shot?  How much blood?  Were stitches required?  Was he needing instruction or information on how to properly clean the wound?

Finally, after what seemed like several minutes of foolishness, I demanded that he stop playing around and just tell me who got hurt right now.  He got frustrated and said that he was trying and I was not letting him speak.  I got angry in return and said he had plenty of time to speak and was messing with me.

After a quick "No one is hurt, the rooster just nicked his comb on the fence and is fine." we hung up.  I was still angry and upset at my husband's dawdling, feeling sure he was just being a jerk.  It was "obvious" that he was just covering his patoot claiming that I was not letting him speak, and I was angry at him for trying to put this on me.  I drove home in a very dark mood.

Something wasn't right, though.  My husband is never cruel or taunting.  He is never cavalier with injury or my feelings.  He can be a toad at times to play, but not to this extent.  I analysed the events and still found the same, disturbing, conclusion that he was deliberately being obtuse, but I also knew it was a false conclusion.

I prayed.  The Holy Spirit showed me that we were both right in our perceptions:  he really was taking a long time in my eyes, and I really was not letting him speak.

I think fast.  I think really fast.  I finish other people's sandwiches sentences, and in fact sometimes finish the entire conversation for the other person. I often zone out because I know what people are going to say, or they are taking entirely too long to say it. (Do not even get me started in how long it takes for someone to press "play" on the remote.)

I rarely make decisions fast if I have the luxury of time to ponder (as an INTP, I want to mull and consider every possible facet and only utilize a perfect decision), But I do think quickly and can make decisions quickly when the situation demands it.  When someone is injured, I think even faster--much more so than even my very intelligent husband.

At the thought that someone could need medical help, my brain kicked into hyperdrive and stretched out microseconds to minutes and minutes to hours.  Truly my perception was correct--he SEEMED to be taking a long time to speak.  Couple that with my "mama bear" protective instinct, and he did not stand a chance.

But his perception was correct too.  Still in normal time, he was not getting a word in edgewise with my impatient questioning.

It was an eye opening experience for both of us.  Sometimes I have wondered if being a genius actually has any true difference with others besides making me seem off beat and odd, with the occasional "great idea" thrown in.  This incident, however, showed that there is a great deal of difference in pace of thought.

Interestingly, the Lord also showed my husband the same thing as he wondered why a normal conversation skidded off the track so quickly.  Thankfully, he is a good-natured man and was more bemused at the revelation than wounded in ego.  He is a very intelligent man and an Outlier in talent and ability, but I edge him out on IQ.

If you are a genius, your mind works differently.  It might not work as quickly depending on how your mental engine runs, but it definitely works differently and those differences are not imagination.  They are palpable.  They are obvious at times.   This means that you and I have to be wise and aware--remember, our intelligence does not make us better people any more than being able to run fast makes a runner a better person than someone who can sing but can't run.

If you find yourself bewildered by interaction with even the bright humans around you, understand that they might be completely accurate in their assessment.....and you might be as well.  Be patient, be thoughtful, be slow to become angry, and work to understand others and your interaction with them.  That is our responsibility as we have the ability to do so.