Following my last blog on Men and Women, it occurred to me that it might be fun to turn the tables on women and explore the meanings of some of the things women say. (Again, it%92s all in fun; please don%92t get offended).

(If you haven%92t read the %92last blog%92, you should read it before continuing.)

When SHE says %92It would take too long to explain%92,
  what she means is %92You%92ll never understand; it%92s too complicated.%92

When SHE says %92It%92s a guy thing%92 (rolling her eyes),
  she means %92It%92s a stupid thing; women are so much smarter then men%92.

%92Take a break, honey, you%92ve been working too hard%92
  means: %92Honey, I%92d love to renovate the kitchen; new cabinets, countertops, appliances; wouldn%92t it be fun?%92

%92I can%92t find it%92
  means: %92You must have lost it; that%92s the only possible explanation%92.

%92Do these make me look fat?%92
  means: %92I%92m not sure about these new pants, but I already bought them, so please tell me I look good in them.%92

Of course, these are terrible generalizations, but aren%92t they funny? It%92s our ability to laugh at ourselves that makes us human, I think.

Suzette

I apologize in advance to men. This blog entry is strictly tongue-in-cheek, and just for fun.

Everybody knows that men and women are very different. Like the book says %92men are from Mars, women are from Venus%92. Anyone who has been married for more than a couple of months knows how true this is. For all we know, men and women were dropped off here, thousands of years ago, from different planets, in some gigantic lunatic experiment, or colossal joke.

One of the problems between men and women is that women expect men to understand them and, consequently, to behave in certain ways. It%92s like expecting dogs to understand cats, or to stop chasing cars and barking. It%92s not going to happen. THEY DON%92T SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE. THEIR BRAINS WORK DIFFERENTLY.

For example:

When a guy says %92It would take too long to explain%92, 
  what he means is %92I have no idea how it works.%92

When he says %92It%92s a guy thing%92,
  he means %92There is no rational thought pattern connected with it, I don%92t know why, that%92s just what guys do%92 .

%92That%92s interesting, dear%92
  means: %92Did you say something?%92

%92Take a break, honey, you%92re working too hard%92
  means: %92I can%92t hear the game over the vacuum cleaner%92.

%92I can%92t find it%92
  means: %92I looked around the room with my eyes closed and it didn%92t fall into my hands%92.

Joking aside, I wonder whether there%92s a difference between men%92s and women%92s artwork. Do men and women approach making art differently? Do they favour different subjects, styles, colours? Do they take painting more seriously? Do they experience success more readily? Can you tell whether a painting was made by a man or woman, just be looking at it? I%92ve often found myself surprised when I see a man who paints flowers. Am I guilty of stereotypical thinking?

I have no answers to all these questions, but it sure would be fun to have that discussion in a mixed group, don%92t you think?

"Art is the one thing that speaks to everyone. Art transcends time and ties us all together as the human race." (David Dory)

Suzette

Last week, I talked about happiness. This past weekend, I experienced a day that drove me to say %92this is what happiness is about%92.

It was a simple thing really, an ordinary day, but on second thought, it was quite extra-ordinary. My grand-son was playing football in my town, Maple Ridge. He and his sister came over from Langley the day before and spent the night with me. On Saturday, I took him to his football game. It was a beautiful early fall day. Sunny, warm but not too hot, with a nice little breeze blowing. We sat there in the perfect weather and watched the game.

Everyone came out for this game, his mom, his dad and step-mom, his sisters, his paternal grand-parents, and me, his maternal grandmother. We watched the game and visited with each other. What a great day it was. After the game, the kids all left with their dad, and my daughter and I went and had a nice quiet lunch together. A perfect day.

By the end of the day, I felt contented and happy. I couldn%92t help thinking: this is what life is about, this is happiness. A perfect day, the love of children and grandchildren, and the ability to enjoy it all. Yes, this is what happiness is about, for me anyway.

I think we are not always able to recognize the precious moments in life, to see and appreciate those things that matter most. And those things are not necessarily big things, like money, possessions, success. They are often as simple as a perfect day watching your grandson play football.

"Too often the real beauty of life is missed as we submit to the daily grind. One role of the artist is to observe the beauty that others miss and help them see it through their creative pursuits." (Gary Lanthrum)

Your comments are always welcome.

Suzette

Here%92s a question not many people ask themselves: %92Am I happy?%92 And if the answer is not a definite yes, then why not? And what can I do to be more happy?

Sometimes, we need to be reminded to look at our lives and find the things that make us happy. So let%92s talk about happiness. What is happiness? What does it mean to be happy?

Here are some indicators: Are you satisfied with your life or do you wish things were different? Would you change anything? Are you always looking for more, for something else, or are you pretty well content? Do you live in the past (regretting things done or missed), or in the future (waiting for something to happen, for conditions to be just right), rather than in the present? If you could do it over, would you do anything differently?

When you start answering these questions, you get a pretty good sense of how happy you are, or are not. But happiness can really be a matter of attitude, and choice. There will always be circumstances in life that are beyond our control and about which we can do nothing. But we can choose to see the good things that are there, to appreciate what we have. We can choose to see that there can be adversity in life, but that doesn%92t have to keep us from being happy. We can choose to be happy.

If, in the process of examining our lives, we find that there are areas about which we are unhappy and about which we CAN do something, then we must be brave enough to do what must be done. We must choose to do the right thing, no matter how difficult, IF we want to be happy. It is a choice. You don%92t like something? Then do something about it. Or else, accept it and learn to be happy with it or in spite of it.

Happiness is not brought on by external things. It is inside of you, you just have to find it. I believe that self esteem and self respect are the basis of happiness. I believe that loving yourself is the first step to finding happiness, that everything follows from that simple act.

Life is short. Let%92s make the most of it. Let%92s be happy, every day. It%92s a gift.

"The happiest people don%92t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything." (Rev. Dr. Leahmanda)

Your comments are always welcome.

Suzette