Women confuse me

Beer I understand.

Sharon recently bought the t-shirt shown below for me at a store in Frankenmuth, Michigan. Every time that I wear it, I get a lot of smiles, and usually quite a few “I like your t-shirt” comments.



If you’ve been married for a while, you eventually figure out that you and your mate actually agree on a lot of things, but there are still going to be differences on our respective perception of reality.

Shortly after returning from China, I bought “Why Men Don’t Listen, and Why Women Can’t Read Maps” from Amazon.com. The book was written by a married couple (Barbara and Allan Pease) and was originally published in the year 2000. If you click on the appropriate tabs at the link below, you can read all 253 pages online:

are you sure we’re compatible?

It’s actually a pretty funny book, and I wish that I had read it YEARS ago. After I had finished reading it for the first time, the thought occurred to me that it was fairly amazing that we are able to live with each other at all. In the final analysis, both genders often have different ideas on various topics. The secret to success, however, is realizing that NEITHER side is wrong in their opinion - just different.

There have been LOTS of books written about how to deal with the opposite gender, and it seems that the vast majority of magazines and songs have the same theme. It’s literally impossible to explain the chemical reaction that causes one person to “fall in love” with another person. The late Dusty Springfield explained, probably better than most people, that there’s isn’t much logic to physical attraction:

son of a preacher man

Sharon is a member of The First Wives Club. Unlike Newt Gingrich, however, I haven’t traded her in for a newer model. Like him or not, “Old Newt” has managed to come up with the most creative explanation of any politician for his past infidelities:

"There's no question at times in my life, partially driven by how passionately I felt about this country, that I worked too hard and things happened in my life that were not appropriate."

I have to admit that there have been times when my wife has driven me crazy, and she can also say the same about me. Not long after we moved into our current location, I bought the wrong kind of lima beans at the store, and she didn’t talk to me for three days afterward. What drives HER crazy is that I can never seem to put away the knives, utensils, and glasses away in the right spot after they've been washed.

We’ve been through a lot of good times together, and we’ve also endured a lot of hardships. As we’ve gotten older, we’re no longer the handsome young couple that we were in 1972. I’ve gotten shorter and balder and grayer, and Sharon can no longer fit into a size six dress. One of my favorite comic strips is “Pickles”, because I can very easily relate to a lot of their everyday conversations:

Pickles

After nearly 4 decades of marriage, though, I think I’ve finally hit upon the secret to a long and happy marriage: laughter. If you laugh often, and heartily, with your mate, life becomes a whole lot easier, and you manage to stay friends even if your brains aren’t wired the same.

Now that I think I’ve got women figured out, I’ve discovered that BEER is getting more confusing, and you can read about THAT topic at the link below:

I’ve been Goosed!