It's ridiculous how good woman are at communicating. Let me explain where I'm going with this. Not too long ago, I attended a party with my wife. As she introduced me to coworkers (nurses, doctors, administrative people, and many, many more), I quickly realized she expected me to remember that person from a previous conversation. She would say, "you know so-and-so, I was talking about her the other day." I had no clue who so-and-so was. As we made our way around the party, I continued to fail the so-and-so test. She eventually shot me "the look." She followed that look with a serious question. "Have you listened to a word I've said since you became my husband?"
I love my wife more than anything, but she tends to be way too good at communicating. I'm always warned just before it happens. I'm alarmed as soon as she pulls into the driveway and that screeching garage-door opens. That's quickly followed by a moving mouth that keeps going on and on and on and on and one about something that happened at work. This is when we have a serious communication breakdown. In the beginning, I try very hard to grasp every word. I'm clinging. However, after she's tossed-in a few unfamiliar names, a few nursing terms, and a few side-stories, it's over. I'm glazed over thinking about beer and fire.
I guess conversation between men and women will always be a joke. On the subject of comedy and communicating, here's a great quote from Bill Cosby...."Men and women belong to different species, and communication between them is a science still in its infancy."
Enough said.
My husband and I are the opposite. I need him as my wing man...I never remember anyones name. I don't know how he does it.
ReplyDeleteOk, sounds like you and your wife have a very similar relationship in the communication department as my hubby and I...I am also a nurse, come home to tell him about my day, for which, I know, falls on deaf ears...
ReplyDeleteI've given up a long time ago...since we have been together for almost 20 years. It's just best to nod your head and smile...because, we're not able to shut up...LOL
Love the comments and it's a good thing Nikki and I never met. Every relationship needs a wingman. So glad I've got mine. I am getting better over the years.
ReplyDeleteI can go both ways, super chatty or let me go hide in my bat cave and chill. Though I think in general women do express their feelings through oral language. I attract the strong silent type of man and this causes me to feel like a super ambitious or hyperactive social butterfly, which in reality I'm not.
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm a hairdresser. Talk all day. When I come home to be with the hubby, he prefers listening to the television. At dinner he uses his mouth to chew. And I go on and on...
ReplyDeleteMaybe you could impress her by just concentrating on one or two of the highlights of her day.
ReplyDeleteAsking how a nurse's day went sounds like a loaded gun full of crazy stuff. Hope she's not in ER.
Anyway...
Think of an outline format,bullet points--trust me she's worth your extra effort.
She is definitely worth it. I do a little better than I lead one to believe, but she always loses me with the side-stories. That's the kicker.
ReplyDeleteOh, and she works in the NICU, so it's right up there with ER intense.
She eventually shot me "the look." She followed that look with a serious question. "Have you listened to a word I've said since you became my husband?"
ReplyDeleteThat's a hell of a loaded question.
Well, for the most part, my hubby is the talker. Plus, he has hundreds of family members that he claims are aunts or uncles, or nieces or nephews. I recently figured out that the majority of them are second, third and fourth cousins, once removed. Hah! If they are older, you call them uncle or aunt and if they'r younger, they call you uncle or aunt.
ReplyDeleteNow when it comes to important things that he needs to listen to me about, I have to make sure that he knows it is important to me. Otherwise he'll figure "close enough is good enough."
Let's face it. We really are from different planets. Especially if we're also from different cultures.