Waffles and Spaghetti

I heard Bill and Pam Farrel talk this morning on Focus on the Family about the differences between men and women. The introduction began with something along the lines of:

Bill: Some women can't believe men think about nothing. They would ask, "Hunny, what are you thinking about?" "Nothing." "You have to be thinking about something." And then we would be forced to lie! All the men here know that it is possible to be thinking about absolutely ... nothing! [chuckles]

Their analogy was that men are like waffles and women are like spaghetti. First, I will make the disclaimer that they did. This is an oversimplification, and much of how we think and interact depend not only on our "hardwiring", but also on our upbringing, personality, and maturity.

Now back to waffles and spaghetti.

Men are like waffles. Our lives are broken up into all these tiny boxes. We have a "work" box, "watching TV" box, "working out" box, "relationship / listening" box, and so on.

Women are like spaghetti. All of their seemingly unrelated thought are connected somehow. Like the spaghetti, multiple dimensions of their lives are emotionally connected.

Here's a link to Part 1 of the broadcast (click here).

I found this analogy helpful in learning how to relate to my future wife and women in general. The most helpful thing for me was learning that I shouldn't be in a "work" (or "workout") box, when a woman needs me to be in a "relationship / listening" box - when I should just listen, and not try to solve a situation.

Generalizing, in pursuit of relational fitness (a subset of emotional fitness), we need to understand each other's unique personalities and how we communicate. Our "natural" instincts and responses are not always the wisest.

What are your thoughts on men and women?

How do you relate to others (men or women) with different ways of thinking?

How does this apply in your current context? (home, work, friends, relationships)