Glitter and Glue: A Book Review with Perspective

I am one of those moms who "never has time to read" or at least I tell myself that.  It has been at least a year since I read any book for pleasure. I've read books for my job, but we'll just say, they weren't necessarily fun. 

So I decided that this summer. I would start taking my daughter to our community pool and start reading real books.  And the first one I read was a surprising find.  I can't remember where I came across it, but I was so glad I found it. 

Have you ever read a book at the right time in your life?  Like that book jumped off the bookshelf and into your arms because you needed to read it.  That it would change your life?

This happened to me when I read Eat.Pray.Love a few years back.  I needed to read that book the summer that I did.  It helped put things into perspective for me when I had lost some.  And Glitter and Glue was the perspective I needed only mere moments before my life happened.

The book is a memoir - split between Kelly Corrigan reminiscing over her summer spent in Australia as a nanny for a family and her experiences there.  The other part is rediscovering herself as a mother later on in her life.  But the theme is that in a marriage, one person is the "Glue" - the one that holds the family together, while the other sprinkles "Glitter" all around, providing fun and experiences.

A month or so ago, I found myself the "Glitter" of my relationship.  I was great at providing fun experiences.  "Let's go for FroYo."  "We deserve a vacation." "Retail therapy!"  

While my husband was the practical one - always holding our family of three together.  Always the one I'd run to when my daughter and I disagreed.  Always handling the not-so-fun finances.

But after reading Glitter and Glue, I found myself appreciating my husband's contributions more and more.  And seeing that our relationship NEEDS his glue.  And that sometimes, he should be the glitter and I should be the glue.  And that's what happened these past couple of weeks, mere moments after putting down the book for the last time. 

When he needed to pack for his big trek to California, I found myself being the practical one, the list maker. Pulling myself together, remaining calm under fire, and staying organized.  The glue holding him together.  

Every relationship needs both partners to have moments of Glitter and Glue.  You need practicality and spontaneity. Yin and Yang.  And Kevin and I need each other.  We're a team.  And we're both Glitter and Glue.