Shovel, Please
2004-09-15, 2:24 p.m.

And you men think we women are hard to figure out.

Hubby came home from work yesterday, with yet another Big Hairy Problem he wanted to talk about. It�s something we do all the time. He gets to unload his wheelbarrow o�crap on the little wifey, I offer my take on things, he bounces off a few ideas and generally ends up feeling better about the whole shebang.

Last night, after slopping the mini-hogs and shuttling them to bed, I headed out on the porch for our evening discourse. He went over x and y and z, all the possibilities, responded to my ideas with exclamations such as �That�s what I said today! You�re right!� Instant validation. No problem. But then, without warning, his end of the conversation turned into �Idonwannatalkaboutit.�

Huh?

�IDONWANNATALKABOUTIT.�

Excuse me, but didn�t you INVITE me out here to talk about it?

*pout* *drink beer* *pout*

If you don�t want to talk about it, then why did you ask me to come out here?

*pout* *finish beer* *stomp off to bed*

I stood around scratching my head, wondering what did I say to trigger Personality Number 2 to emerge, and just what would this new being do? It bore no resemblance to Personality Number 1 who had been enjoying the nightly Dump It All On Da Wife session. How many more Personalities are there? Dare I say anything more, lest Numbers 3, 4, and 5 announce their presence?

I think it had something to do with my Being Right versus The Big Ego. Thus far all attempts to peacefully coexist have met with resonant failure. The Big Ego by nature tends to overinflate and crowd out all other life forms in the near vicinity, until Being Right does some righteous pointing and punctures the big fella.

*PFFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTTTTT* *pout* *stomp*

Guys, if you ask for our opinions, you�re gonna get �em. If you can�t take the heat then stay out of the kitchen. Or, at the very least, don�t bury the little woman under all your problems if you aren�t going to allow her to dig her way out. If you are wanting someone to listen, just listen, please tell us. It�s in our nature to solve problems and nurture and help, so it should come as no surprise that by design we refuse to sit there like happy little mannequins. We girls have many talents, but mind reading ain�t one of them. Oh yeah, regarding the egos, keep a check on the inflation. Waving that around us is like bubble wrap�it�s impossible to resist the urge to pop.

Hubby awoke in a much better mood, both apologetic and explanatory, full of vim and vinegar and ready to tackle the issue. He even called to update me and apologize yet again. I�m feeling rather charitable. He had just better not invite me to talk tonight.

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