Men and women are not the same. I know this on many levels. I have a father, a brother, a husband, a son, and yes, even guys that are my friends. You would think after 37 years I would have a better understanding about what makes them tick, what drives them, and what they are really all about. Most of the time I think (naively) I do understand men pretty well. Then every once in a while a guy will say or do something that makes me think, you and I are not the same.<\/p>\n
Let me give you an example. Last night Geoff and I attended a stake Christmas Ball. It was a very nice affair. The decorations were beautiful, the food was wonderful, and everyone was dressed in their best.<\/p>\n
For the first part of the evening the DJ played music that would appeal to people who knew how to do dances that actually have names. Dances like the Foxtrot, the Cha Cha, and the Waltz. Geoff and I joined in when we felt it was ok to sway slowly around in a circle since we are severely lacking in ballroom dancing knowledge. <\/p>\n
A lot of the men acted like you would expect them to; holding the wall up with their backs, standing in front of the refreshment table, or telling their wives that there was no way they were going to dance. To their credit there were a few gentlemen who very good dancers and were really enjoying themselves on the dance floor. <\/p>\n
The second hour of the ball began with a short program. The first to perform was a jazz quartet featuring Geoff J on the saxophone. He did a very lovely job if I do say so myself. After Geoff was finished he joined me in watching the rest of the performances.<\/p>\n
A few of the performers were dancers. One, a boy probably about 18 years old, tap danced his little heart out. It was cute, he did a good job, but I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really think much about it after the performance was over.<\/p>\n
The next person to dance was a girl who was probably about 18 years old too. She was dressed very modestly in black slacks and a nice shirt. The girl did a jazz routine and I remember thinking that it was a nice performance. There was a shimmy or two, and some high kicks, nothing that was really very wild, and nothing that I would really call risqu\u00c3\u00a9.<\/p>\n
After the girl finished her dance one of my friend\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s husbands jokingly said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I think the spirit just left the room!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d A few other men made similar comments and as I was listening to them I cocked my head to the side and thought, men really are from Mars!<\/p>\n
I guess I was just surprised at how different the perspectives were of the men\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s from the women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s while watching the dancers perform. Clearly the men found the dancing interesting in a very different way then the women did. While I was watching the teenage boy dance I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t thinking to myself, Hubba! Hubba! (Of course I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know anyone who would say that while watching a tap dance) Still, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think I would have felt uncomfortable if the boy had chosen to do a jazz number instead of a tap dance.<\/p>\n
Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get me wrong. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not trying to say that men are somehow inferior for thinking like this. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just different than the way women think. Every once in a while I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll have an experience that will really drive this home to me.<\/p>\n
Of course we women never do anything to confound you men, right?<\/p>\n
[Associated Radio Thang song: Kings of Convenience – I’d Rather Dance With You<\/em>]