Communication

I was recently shopping at Marshall's, hoping against hope that I would find something that would make me look ravishing, world-wise, and capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time.  Dare to dream.  I did manage to find a pair of jeans that did not make me look ridiculous.

In the next aisle over was a young couple - she, looking through sweaters and he, dutifully tagging along.  After a few minutes he said, "I thought you came here to buy shoes."  I guess with communication would come understanding.  Not all men understand the communication of what exactly is going to happen when some women go shopping for shoes.  Not all women understand the understanding of some men when they hear a woman say that she's going shopping for shoes.  Do you think that men and women should shop separate from each other?

I believe that it's important to know what we're communicating, and what the other person is hearing, when we use words.  I also believe that it's important to be aware of what we're communicating with our facial expressions and postures.  Once again I was at a training and had some professionals come up to me and state unequivocally that their residents will not do activities.

Flash back to an enlightening weekend spent learning about myself at an event known as Landmark Forum.  When dealing with communication and behaviors, the participants at The Forum, were asked to consider the question, "Who am I being?"  If a spouse or child is difficult to deal with we were urged to ask, "Who am I being that this person is behaving that way with me?"  This was not done to assess blame, but rather to examine other ways of being with that person. 

Bottom line, as anonymous said, "If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got."  Perhaps it's simply a matter of changing the way we do what we do.  And then learning how to walk and chew gum.