Waffles and Spaghetti

I love Fox News Channel.  And the folks on Fox and Friends are my morning friends.  They are so funny and really present the news in a fair way.  Once they were speaking of a new book that had come out which described men as being like waffles and women like spaghetti.

And that describes Brian and me perfectly!  (Side note: Isn't he just so cute!)

Men tend to think in a very compartmentalized way.  They tend (generally speaking) to accomplish one task at a time. Being interrupted and asked to jump from task to task before the task at hand is complete is a sure way to frustrate a man.  And we all know that bringing up weighty matters of life during a big game will get us no where!  They can focus on one thing at a time.... and the big game happens to be it.

When at job sites, Brian prefers to work on one task at a time instead of having each employee at an office constantly asking him to run here, finish this up quickly, or show them how to do that.  It really bothers him!  Why?  Because he is jumping from square to square on his waffle without completing the task in each individual square. 

Women generally are known as being multi-taskers.  We can do multiple things at a time and do them all well.  We clean, do the laundry, make the meals, take care of children, and a whole host of other things all at the same time.  Why?  Because like spaghetti, everything is intertwined with  each other.  Each strand of spaghetti touches all of the other strands of spaghetti, but no strand of spaghetti is adversely affected by this mish-mash.

It drives Brian crazy that, in the evening, I can watch TV with him, be on the computer, carry on a conversation with Addie (all at the same time) and I am fully aware of each thing I am participating in.

When you think of how God has designed the genders and roles he planned for us to have in our homes, it makes total and complete sense. As the bread winner of our home, Brian has to be focused on each task that he is involved in.  It is that focus that helps him do his job accurately and to the best of his ability. Because in our home, he also takes care of the more dangerous things (climbing ladders to clean the ceiling fans, getting on the roof to clean the soffets, doing the mowing), he has to be focused on the task at hand.  Imagine me, a multi-tasker, doing those jobs!  Can we all say disaster!

If I only did one job at a time, nothing that I normally accomplish in the day would get done! I cannot only focus on Addie or the house would never get cleaned, laundry would never get done, and dinner would never be fixed.  On days when I go with my ladies to scrapbooking day, Brian stays home with Addie.  When I get home, he always tells me the same thing, "I don't know how you do everything you do. I was only able to......."  As good as it makes me feel, I have to realize that God did not design Brian to do my job, and He did not design me to do his job.

By the same token, waffles and spaghetti come into play in regular conversations.  Men discuss one topic at a time.  They don't like to jump from topic to topic.  Most women, on the other hand, jump from one thought to another, and from topic to topic and we completely keep up with the changes in the conversation (I'm notorious for this). 

Brian and I can have a conversation and it can be a hilarious scenario.  He can start the conversation on one topic and my spaghetti mind will connect that topic with many memories, which will then go to other topics and other memories, and when my thoughts have finally stopped, I can say something completely off the original topic.  Brian will look at me with a quizzical look and ask where I came up with my last statement.  I'll laugh and try to explain my train of thought, and he will chuckle and say, "I'm still in my waffle square."

I love couponing!  But in order to get the most out of my coupons, I have to plan before I get to the store, break up my purchases at the register, and use my coupons at the right time.  When I come home waving my receipts like a banner of accomplishment, I try explaining to Brian all of the ins and outs, ups and downs, and strategy used in getting the final price.  Usually mid-explanation, Brian gets a look that lets me know I have taken one too many spaghetti trails and he is ready for the bottom line.  How much did I spend?  And although for me the bottom line for me is completely meaningless and holds no personal satisfaction without the complete story behind it, I know that his waffle square only holds enough room for so much syrup (information).  I tell him how much I saved and how much I spent.  He is thrilled.... and then I text my sister (also made of spaghetti) who enjoys all of the details.

Who would have thought that waffles and spaghetti were such a great combo!