Due to the success of the article in Spanish (it is by far the most commented and one of the top 5 read stories of my blog), a very kind reader offered to translate it so it could be read in English. Here it goes:
It was one of those conversations that you fondly remember. The moment facilitated a serene dialogue, the place offered a cozy setting and the subject of conversation was interesting. The speaker was telling me that he was in search of the women of his life. And he wished to find one who was compatible with him. His problem up to that point was finding someone who would second his tastes, hobbies, and lifestyles.
A phrase of Chesterton came to my mind which with his usual irony, he emphasized: “if all the married couples could get divorced for being incompatible, I don’t understand why all of them haven’t gotten divorced.” Because it’s evident, nature imposes it, a man and a woman are simply non-compatible.
Human relationships are like good sauces, they are made with many ingredients that together are a lot more valuable than when considered individually. The important thing is not that the ingredients are compatible but that they complement each other. That the good things of one person may not dim or cover the good things of the other. On the contrary, that they may be able to make them disappear or at least, make them imperceptible. The real richness of a human relation is not in its compatibility but
rather in its complementarity. That together they may be more than being alone. That’s how to make the famous sauce known as honey-mustard. Honey is more compatible with sugar but only when it’s willing to join with something different, something new occurs.
And following this reasoning, I ended up giving this advice to my friend: Don’t aspire for compatibility. Soon it will bore you. Instead, learn to enrich yourself with the differences of others. That way you will not only find the woman of your life but you will know to love her to the end.
