another 'communicating' tale ;-)

     Yesterday evening, Brian and I were in the living room and I started telling him about something from my Dr.'s appointment. Something VERY personal. He was listening while  looking for something. He hadn't found it, so he wandered out of the room. I stopped talking. A minute later I hear, "I'm still listening". "Yeah, but it's not something I want to shout about."   For one, I wasn't sure where exactly the three "boys" were. For two, the living room windows and front door were open. This wasn't information I wanted to share with anybody else.
    About another minute and a half later, he wanders back into the room. The thing was, Benson was almost directly behind him. He had just come up from the basement because the two of them were going to watch something they had recording together. I asked Benson if he could go back in the kitchen for just a couple of minutes so I could finish telling Brian something. With a sigh and this 'expression' he said "fine".
       I switched gears, figuring I'd finish telling Brian at some other point in time, and asked Benson If I could use his room and TV. I wanted to rent a movie off of U-verse, and his room has a U-Verse box, mine doesn't. Brian said that he'd help me upstairs, and carry my glass of Pepsi for me and I could finish telling him up there. Okay.
      Boo was standing at the front door, wagging his tail with ALL of his might and really wanting let out. I started to open the door to do so, but Brian said not to, because he'd just get in the way of "the boys" (Brandon and Brent) carrying the air conditioner up onto the porch. I had looked out and seen Brent walking towards the front steps carrying something with one hand, so I'd figured it would be fine for me to put Boo out there on his leash. But I didn't argue, just headed on up the stairs.
     Brian also looked out and said it was the front panel off the air conditioner that Brent was carrying.  (Some friends had gifted us with their HUGE air conditioner that they no longer needed, due to having central air. The boys had brought it home in the back of Brandon's suburban.  THANKS friends!!! ;-> )
     But by the time Brian had said that, I had already started to step into Benson's room and made a comment inquiring if it was very cool in there.
     I had then walked over to our room and commented about how there was such a wonderful breeze in there. This whole time Brian's mind is still on the air conditioner, so he thinks that I am making comments in reference to that, and started saying something about how it's a big air conditioner so it will probably help the whole house ...
    I'm still comparing the coolness/breeziness of the different bedrooms upstairs.
     We met back up in Benson's room and I started talking about where to sit the glass of Pepsi Brian was holding. I didn't want Boo tipping it over later.
     (Now) I don't remember what the next thing was that I had started talking about, but it was like I had started up a whole new conversation. When Brian didn't respond, I looked up at him. The poor guy was wearing this lost/bewildered/confused expression. I couldn't help myself, I started laughing. He commented, "I'm lost AND I WAS EVEN LISTENING THIS TIME!" I laughed harder. I knew exactly what he was referring to.
    Years ago now, he had attended a "Dad the Family Shepherd" conference. One of their sessions had dealt with the difference in the ways that men and women think. Men think more like a climbing rope. You climb down it, tie a knot at the end, and that's that! Well, unless something shiny, food, or a pretty female crosses their path during the thought. ;-p
     Women on the other hand, think more along the style of a spider building it's web. First they're over here. But then by some magical, male non-understandable way of how, that thought triggers a thought about something in a different section of the web, so they jump over there. And then it happens again, and again. And yet, by a methodology still completely non-understandable to guys, when women are done, we've created a beautiful spider web where-in everything we talked about IS connected to each other, and we (at least usually) even know what all was discussed or thought about.
    The conference had encouraged the guys to really/actually listen when their wife's were talking. They told them that often you can make some sense out of all of it by paying close attention. And that when you do, it's GINORMOUS brownie points with the wife for having done so!
    Brian HAD been listening! His mind had automatically assumed that I was going back to finish telling him the info. from my doctor's visit, since we were again in a 'private' situation. But instead I had jumped to a completely new section of 'my web'. ;-p!
    The poor guy. While (at the time) I completely knew where I was in all four conversations, I had sent him into a 'no-can-keep-up/comprehend' state of being. And while the look of his face was saying it all, I could not stop laughing at it, even though I did feel ever so sorry for him and kept trying to stop laughing long enough to say so.
    S-l-o-w-e-l-y, one by one, I went back over and even finished each and every subject. He stood there shaking his head while smirking at me. "Sometimes I just don't stand a chance at keeping up with you".  But he smiled. A big very friendly smile. I liked that!
    
     This has been yet another example of how you can be communicating, and yet not be at the exact same time. We sometimes share these with you folks to encourage you to keep trying in your own relationships! A good laugh goes a long ways towards clearing things up!

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I 'plan' on linking this particular posting up to:
~ "Making Your Home Sing Monday('s)", are hosted by Nan, at 'Mom's the Word (I love to hear)' (http://momstheword--livingforhim.blogspot.com/).