Living in the contrasts

I love contrasts, I am not a shades of gray kind of person.  Bold stark contrasts make life richer and fuller to me.  When I was younger I was often accused of being a black and white person.  At the time, I was hurt and offended by the comment.  Further along in life I find that it wasn't so much of an insult as it was simply an observation.
 
Take hubby and I for example, we have a tremendous amount of things in common.  We like the same foods, we like the outdoors, we have so much in common that it might seem we are one and the same.  We are as different as night and day and I love it.  I am reserved, usually the quieter one in the group, I prefer to be unnoticed, I like being another face in the crowd.  I am a background kind of person.  Hubby is the life of the party, he stands out, loves to be recognized and celebrated, he is definitely the accent to the plain.  Because of this we compliment each other and fit perfectly.

My dogs are contrasts, although that was not intentional, I think even the universe understands my need for contrasts.  I simply like the texture that it gives life. My children are contrasts that go far deeper than the color of their hair and eyes.  As they have grown they basically swapped personalities, which amazes me more than a little.  My girl was the quiet and reserved one, my boy the center of his group of friends outgoing and bubbly. Somewhere around the time they each hit middle school a completely opposite person emerged.

My friends are a healthy mix of personalities, but mostly I gravitate towards friends that are warm, loving, giving people the ones that bring out the best of me just by being who they are.  The other thing that is very evident in the people I surround myself with is that they are like hubby, they are bold, outgoing, charismatic, and bubbly, all the things I am not.

Last night at quilting class I noticed all the contrasts in class, young and mature, their color choices, their styles.  We were missing a couple of folks so it was quieter and slower paced.  I had more time to observe the group and dynamics. The quilts are coming together so nice, some have moved on to quilting, some are still being pieced.  The colors reflecting their personalities and styles. I love all the variety.  We only have two more weeks in this session, I am not sure all of the quilts are going to be finished by then, but I hope they will. I think the reason I am drawn to quilts is the contrasts.  My favorite ones have stark contrasts, I am not the kind of person that is drawn to the muted watercolor quilts, where they all blend subtly together.  Although I do appreciate their beauty!

Do you live your life in the richness of contrasts?  Or in the beautiful blending of the shades?  There isn't any right or wrong, it is simply a definition of who you are and we need all of these types to make the fabric of life.  The contrasts cannot exist without the blended shades. I am happy to personally be part of the blend, that is why I look for the contrasts to make my heart be more... how about you??