You Are Not My Enemy

Remember that old book, “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus”?  I can remember reading that book when I was much younger and it made complete sense.  At the time, I was trying to figure out men.  But what I have learned over the years is that there is beauty in having someone understand what it’s like to be a woman.

Throughout my years I have learned the value of having girlfriends.  There’s nothing like having a conversation with someone who understands where you’re coming from and accepts you no matter what.  For years, I used to think that women were the enemy.  I thought they were competition and couldn’t be befriended.  I have learned over the years that we all share a common goal:  to try to survive on this earth alongside men.

It’s not that men are really all so terrible, it’s just that they don’t understand us. Wouldn’t life just be so much easier, girls, if men could understand what it’s like to live inside these female bodies? If they could understand what it's like to make decisions based on emotions instead of pure logic? If they knew what it felt like to have hormones control our lives every 28 days?

Recently, I made contact with a girlfriend that I had not seen in a while.  It was SO good to see her and I had missed her so much!  We started chatting and it was like the long absence never happened. I have that same phenomenon with a girlfriend from high school.  We may not see each other for years at a time, but when we are together, it’s like old times and we are comfortable with each other and can talk about anything.

At one point in my life most of my girlfriends were married and had little kids. They were so busy with their lives that they didn’t have enough time for me. I prayed to God for a girlfriend that could share all my current interests and be my confidante and He presented me with my girlfriend, Colleen. Colleen and I swear that we knew each other in a previous life, because after we met it was like we were never apart.

As I got older I also noticed that I had learned how to talk to women and have an instant connection. The other day I was in a shoe store looking longingly at the sandals and pretty new neon sneakers when I said to a woman there, “Do you ever think we will be able to wear normal shoes again?”  She said, “Oh, I know. I’m so sick of wearing these boots.”  You see, a man wouldn’t understand that comment.  I knew what she meant. She knew what I meant. Instantly.

I have begun to cherish all these little, seemingly insignificant moments with strangers that bind us together and help us get through this life.  These moments can happen anywhere:  at the deli department of the grocery store, standing in line at Panera, or in the locker room at the gym. They help me to realize that I am not going through this life alone and, especially, that I am not invisible.

So here’s a toast to all you women out there!  Thanks for helping me get through this life surrounded by all these Martians.