Of course, fungi and pine needles aren't the only instances of symbiotic relationships. The old saying, "opposites attract" is based on the premise that one person looks for someone who has what he or she lacks. You'll often find business partnerships where one person has the creative imagination, for instance, and the other the financial or administrative skills. In personal relationships, you may find one partner who is described as "spacey," while the other is a logical realist.
Problems arise, however, when you take for granted, or fail to appreciate, those qualities that drew you together in the first place. The "administrator" may begin to rely too heavily on the "creator" to come up with new ideas. The creator may give up fiscal responsibility, assuming that the administrator will always take care of the details. The administrator may become angry with the creator for not paying attention to details, or the creator may start to get annoyed with the administrator for not being imaginative enough.
That's when it's time to step back and reevaluate. You have to go back and rediscover the mutual benefits that have been keeping you together. Think about how you complement each other. Look at the big picture. Construct a mental image of your life, what it is like with the other person, and what it would be like with that person gone.
There are things that we take for granted because they're always there. There are people in our lives we take for granted because we assume they will stay forever. Take them for granted long enough, and your assumptions will be shattered.
"Taking It for Granted"
When nature shows its beauty
All independents blend in so fine.
Only when one looks at the details
Will they see the divine.
—Barry Farber