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Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Men Versus Women (Take One)

It will come as no surprise to you that men are different than women.  I mean there's a whole series of books based on the difference, "Women are from Mars..." - perhaps you've heard of it.  Since I witness these little nuances on what seems to be a daily basis, I thought I'd share some of my observations with you.  After all, I'm pretty sure my audience is 99.9% female so, I would think you could all relate!

Example 1:  Wes and I are in the car and pass a house with a flag displayed out front.  I attempt to read the flag aloud and can only decipher a few words about championship and NHL.  Wes quickly quips, "Oh they put that up every year about this time to support the NHL tournament."

I'm sorry, what?!  You've noticed this flag for "several years" and I've never seen it?  How is that possible?  I notice everything.  I could tell you from head to toe what every coworker has worn this entire week.  How is it possible that I didn't notice a bright red flag flying outside a house that I pass on a weekly basis?  So I turned to Wes in disbelief and ask him how in the world (and why in the world) had he noticed that and I hadn't.

Wes:  "Different things catch our attention because we have different interests."
Me:  "True, but that house could have been on fire and you wouldn't have noticed that.  I think you should rephrase your sentence to, "Danielle, my brain is eternally programmed to sports and nothing else matters.""
Wes:  Eye roll - that's an assumption since I was driving and couldn't look.

I suppose it's true, we all consider different things important and worthy of a second glance.  I should embrace and appreciate our differences and realize we'd go crazy if we didn't have our own unique interests.  I'm sure there will be more, so stay tuned!

I should also just be glad I have him.  I found a blog today that had me in tears multiple times.  I knew it would but I felt drawn to it.  It's about a guy who is raising his 1-year old daughter on his own because his wife died before she ever left the hospital, 27 hours after her daughter's birth to be exact.  He tells it like it is, holding nothing back.  He does inject his sense of humor and sarcasm but it's still very much real.  He has started a foundation for other widows to help deal with the loss financially.  If you feel compelled, you can check his site out here.  I found myself trying to put Wes in his shoes and I think that personalization is what really got to me.  I mean even down to the clothes the little girl was wearing - he picked those out, he dressed her.  I feel for him, I really do.  I couldn't wait to get home and give Wes a big hug!

2 comments:

  1. Good to know my husband's not the only one whos brain is programmed to sports. Well, sports and food! I will definitely have to check out that blog. It makes me want to cry just reading what you wrote about his story. Just what I need, another blog to read at work to make me cry and more people asking me what's wrong :)

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  2. i know what story you are talking about. i had heard of the single parent and he was on oprah recently. he is remarkable. we often hear about single moms and the hard job they do, so it was inspiring and uplifting to see a guy handle the role of mom and dad. he does a great job!

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