Differences...

Men and women obviously, have the physical differences, but it goes so much more deeper than that.  Their brain is NOT wired like ours.  I have been married for almost 39 yrs., which to you young people, seems like an eternity.  Trust me, I still remember like it was yesterday, going on my first date with Rich.  I know you have heard it before, but it bears repeating...Life is short, so dance a little and make love alot.  You are old so much longer than you are young.  Getting back on topic now, Rich is a real man's man.  His idea of thoughtful and mine, are two different things.  Like take for example, he will do something for me, but in reality, he benefits from it.  For my birthday one year, he got me a birthday cake from Costco.  As you know, anything from Costco is supersized.  We weren't having a party or anything for my birthday, just the kids were coming over.  He bought a sheet cake that feeds like 40 people, but that's not the kicker.  He bought carrot cake, which just happens to be HIS favorite, not mine or anyone elses.  We had carrot cake around for over a week.  I enjoy a good back rub, but I discovered that Rich really doesn't like to give back rubs that much.  Over a period of several years, every year for Christmas, I would open a present and there would be this vibrator thing.  The first time he gave me one, I acted like I liked it, but took it back and got something I really wanted.  The next Christmas, sure enough, I got another one, but this one was supersized.  Apparently he thought I took the other one back because it wasn't BIG enough.  Well, I took that one back too.  Then on a trip to Las Vegas, he buys this gigantic huge thing you put in a chair.  What part of vibrating, massaging thing, doesn't he get?  I hate it...but I love him for trying.  I should have known I was in for trouble.  Our first Christmas as husband and wife set the tone.  I got him a watch.....he got me a statue of a glass fish.  This however, I have learned to love over the years and I count as one of my cherished things.
   Men get ready to go someplace completely different than women.  A woman will start the week before the big event, and maybe a month or more before, just searching for the perfect outfit and shoes.  A man will just wear his black dress pants and a shirt and tie.  The ritual for a woman goes all the way to her toes.  She will get a pedicure and manicure, where a man will just take a hack saw to his nails twice a year.  Next comes getting the hair under control.  The eyebrows, mustache hair and chin hair need to be waxed and of course the legs need to be shaved.  For Rich, he just shaves his head and calls it done.  Getting our hair perfect is next to impossible, not only do we have to worry about the haircut, but the hair color.  A man only has to shower.  Why is it that men always think we get turned on by the "woo hoo" when they get out of the shower?  That hasn't work in 20 yrs....The final preparation is the make-up...numerous creams, foundation, concealer, powder, blush, eye liner, eye shadow, mascara and the final touch...lip gloss.  For a man, deodorant and maybe some cologne.  Ah yes, the differences....there are so many.  Love story versus action adventure movie.  Sitcom versus sportcenter...The one thing that I have learned over the past 40 yrs is that the secret to a happy marriage involves two things....Acceptance and compromise.  If you can accept that there are differences and compromise on the big dicisions in your life, than you have the ingredients for a happy marriage.  I'm sure Rich has just as many stories on me...believe me, I'm not easy to live with, but we have learned to accept the things we can't change and enjoy each other for who we are.