If I asked you what is the one thing women want most in life, what do you think the answer(s) would be? We saw Mel Gibson embark on that dangerous quest when he was given the gift of hearing what women think in his movie What Women Want. Now, if he actually learned anything would be the miracle of the movie because how is he supposed to find out when we change our answers from day to day. Anytime I taught British Literature, I always incorporated The Canterbury Tales. As you just read those words, you either got sleepy because you remember an older, pedantic teacher drilling it in your head, excited because you are a nerdy romantic literary scholar like myself, or hungry and counting down the days to Easter because you mistakenly read Canterbury as Cadbury. In this great work by Chaucer, he wrote about the Wife of Bath telling a story about a knight who has a year and a day to be spared of death if he can find out the answer of what women want more than anything in the world. Go ahead, rack your brains...I know you know the answer...you've read the story, wrote the paper, and then burned the book...c'mon...yes, there it is. The answer in the story is that women want complete sovereignty (supreme, independent authority) over their husbands. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...women are evil.
I'm not saying that's the answer now, but isn't that what we crave sometimes, just for everything to go our way? I'm thinking that most women now would want anything that could make us thinner, fitter, happier, and our lives easier. Eh, small potatoes.
Even then, Chaucer knew that women are complicated and it's very difficult to please us. Seriously, if you're sitting there, thinking, "No, I'm not. I'm happy all the time." Then I commend you on your choice of prescription drug. We are constantly complaining, pouting, pitching a fit, talking crap, hiring a hitman, or sulking when it comes to the smallest mishaps in our days. I'm not saying we do it one hundred percent of each day, but it's definitely there. And we're so absolutely trained to model this behavior that we are stunned when something good happens and it doesn't require an attitude. It's like we stored up a certain amount of negative energy that needs to be expended throughout the day, and if we don't use it, we might go crazy, like Nancy Grace locked in a room with a pedophile kinda crazy. And so when that something good happens, like a compliment, we smack it down, and then drown it, and then slice it, and then shoot it, and then hang it and use it as a punching bag..."Take that you stupid compliment...oh wait a minute..." Yeah, sister, something good!!!!
The first time this habit was pointed out to me was during my freshman year of college. I just got back to the dorm after one of our first basketball games where I danced during the halftime with the Dance Team. When I entered the lobby, some students said that we did a really great job. Out of nowhere, I found myself saying, "Well, I was off count on one part, and my leap could have been higher, and..." when this guy stopped me, told me I was so rude, and to learn how to say thank you. That was a great, big 'wow' moment for me because I never gave it any thought. It is totally rude to disregard someone's praises. But look how many times we do it, ladies. Now, I'm not going to go on because I read this fabulous article this past summer and it says it all. Once I just read it again, I was reminded about how much sense all of it made. It's a small article written by a dude explaining to girls why guys compliment us and how we should respond. What? A glimpse into a guy's mind?? Yes, please! I ask that you please read the article and then put some serious thought into it. We don't have to be so complicated and negative all of the time. I promise it's okay to say, "Thank you." And now, to go give my husband an extremely overdue thank you...
The link to a very insightful article:
http://cosmo.intoday.in/story/women-just-accept-a-compliment/1/8373.html
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