Am I also from Mars?

I've often been one to joke about seeing a therapist. It just so happens that Maia's mom is a phychiatrist and nutritionist and she's willing to see me in Orangeville this Saturday. Pete knows I'm going to a nutritionist but he has no idea how I actually got this appointment and that this doctor is a phychiatrist. He never did like the idea of "airing out our dirty laundry"...so to speak. He says "We are the only two people who can solve our problems" and I've always told him that perhaps if we talked to someone about our "shit", it could only help open our minds a bit to what was really going on underneath the surface.

You know the book from John Gray "Men are from Mars Women are from Venus"? Total bullshit. Well, I've only read half of it but he's basically categorizing how men are different from women and how different we respond to situations. Well then ....call me a man because I do some of the things that men do. I don't like to talk openly about my feelings, I'd rather isolate myself in my "cave" when upset instead of talking and I talk to my husband to find solutions to my problems... I don't want to just "vent". I do agree on the translation "dictionary" men need to find out what a woman is really saying ....errr, I think. Most of the things I say to Pete are sometimes misunderstood.

For example, when I say "I'm tired. I have to do everything around here". The book says that what he's really hearing is "I do everything and you do nothing. You should do more. I can't do it all. feel so hopeless. I want a 'real man' to live with". Translated into "Martian" it means "I have been doing so much today. I really need a rest before doing anything else. Would you give me a hug and reassure me that I'm doing a good job and that I deserve a rest?" Yes! But it also means "Stop leaving your filthy socks on the bathroom floor and help me clean this damned house. I'm not the only one who lives here. I shouldn't be the only one doing all this fucking work! Now, get off your ass and help me!"

It's not as clear as many would like to believe. So, while it's true that we are different, when it comes to the basics, we're all humans who want to be respected, loved and appreciated.