It has been brought to my attention that I talk a lot about what is wrong with my relationship in this little bit of cyberspace.

Obviously there is a lot of good in there too – but what is right in a relationship never really makes for an interesting talking point.

Seriously – imagine if Newlywed was like this:

Alex took the rubbish out last night.

I didn’t even have to ask him.

Then we sat down and had dinner.

I’d tried something new. He said he liked it.

I said I’d make it again.

Then we cuddled up on the couch and watched some television.

SNORE.

That stuff goes on – in fact it makes up the basis of our relationship.

But conflict and drama form the basis of any good story and my venting to you guys is sort of like having a chat with a good friend.

Anyways, I’ve decided to write one about what is good about the Remeikis-Jones union so my mum stops dropping hints about marriage counseling to me.

First of all, the toilet door has always stayed closed.

Always.

As far as I am concerned, when Alex walks into the water closet, he could be going to a magical place where fairies dance and elves skip around blowing tunes on a wind pipe (OK maybe not the last bit, that sounds a bit suss) because the whole thing is a mystery to me.

And vice versa.

Obviously, I know the mechanics of what goes on – I just don’t want to think about it.

I don’t understand these couples who are so comfortable with each other that one can sit on the toilet while the other cleans their teeth.

It’s gross and wrong and by keeping that part of our lives completely separate we have managed to keep a lot of the romance and mystery alive.

Secondly – we both respect each other's space.

Living in each other's pockets might work for some couples – I would rather stab myself with a fork.

Alex feels the same.

The time we spend together is quality time. It’s special. But what makes it so special is that we have each continued to live our own lives.

He has his friends and I have mine. We all get together from time to time – but I feel no need to tag along on a boys' trip and Alex – well we all know Alex would prefer to do anything else – including brush down our cat (true story) – than come along with me and the girls.

And fair enough too.

Thirdly we are masters of compromise. Although this can’t be used too often – because if you are always compromising then neither of you are getting what you’d like.

Which means that when it comes to the big purchases (such as the $400 dream bike) I talk about it with him before I buy.

Obviously I could just go out and buy it – but I respect him too much to push when he has asked me to wait. (Although I’m planning on lay-bying it next week – see compromise. $400 leaving your account looks much better over a long period of time.)

And finally, the other big thing is that we don’t try and change each other.

Alex is always going to be slightly less social then me (read: hermit) and I am always going to be flitting about with my head only an inch away from the clouds. I make him lighten up and he stops me from deciding to run away to Italy at the drop of a hat (for instance).

Anyways, it’s not the most textbook relationship, but it works for us.

This love stuff is a tricky business and when you have someone who runs from the heart matched with someone who rules with their head, then you are bound to get sparks.

And occasionally, those sparks become explosions.

As long as the love is there – and that love is combined with respect and honesty – I figure everything will just sort itself out.

That said, Newlywed will resume normal transmissions next week.