MY LEFT BRAIN

I did not coin the phrase My Left Brain. It came from a very gifted speaker and comedian, Jeanne Robertson. I saw one of her videos on the subject, and decided that it just fits perfectly for this article. I refer to my Magnificent Other, also known as The Royster. I say that this fits perfectly, because we seem to supply a balance of choices between us. It’s worked out that way.

Strange I should wake this morning thinking how different we are from Men. I’ve told the Royster many times, “If I were any more like you, you wouldn’t like me very much!” I say this when he’s trying to sway me to his way of doing things. I will admit that he has some pretty good, almost ingenious ideas, but they are not always the way I see things. My way works very nicely for me most of the time, and my question to anyone trying to sway me to their way of thinking or doing things would be, Since my way works perfectly for me, would you be willing to abandon your way, and do it my way? I’ve asked this question of anyone challenging my way of getting around a computer. Here is an example, hypothetically, of course.

He: Why are you doing it that way? It’s wrong!

Me: Oh yeah? Then how would you do it? I’ll bet my way takes fewer strokes than your way.

He: Well, let me sit there, and I’ll show you.

Me: Not on your life! The last time you did that, you lost my document that had taken me three days to put together! Better just tell me!

He: Well, I can’t just tell you. I’ll have to show you!

Me: Well then, NO! You are not touching this. Tell you what…you just get one of your own documents to show me on.

He: Okay, Smart Ass! Move over!

So, I move over, and Mr. Better Way sits down and brings up the last document he has done. He then proceedes to push buttons, scroll, and push more buttons, seemingly looking for something.

He: Aha! Here it is!....poke! click! Oh! My God! Where did it go? Look what you made me do!

As I said, this is a hypothetical example of one of our conversations.

I have heard that people who use more key-strokes than others are a bit old fashioned and traditional. I think that’s endearing….rather sweet. That is a pretty apt description of The Royster. Change doesn’t come easy for this man; certainly not without clawing and screaming.

Right now, we are in the troughs of planning our annual semi-road trip. I say semi because sometimes we fly to our destination and then rent a 4-wheel drive SUV, and take back roads to places of interest. This way, we’ve seen what no tourist ever gets to see.

I usually let The Royster get started on this. He’s really good at it, and comes up with some of the most fun and interesting places to see and visit. I interject and plant seeds here and there, as well as help sort out travel accommodations. However, if there are too many choices, I get really impatient, not to mention confused. We were consulting the big Atlas last night.

He: So, where to you want to go?

Me: I like the idea of going to Zion in Utah.

He: Well we could stay here, and then drive up this highway and across here,
down to Colorado, and to Cortez, and back to … and then … OR we could …

Me: Wait a minute. What if we started out in Colorado and then…

He: Or maybe …

So, I’ve made a file for this year’s vacation. I look forward to it wherever we go. Weather thou goest, I go.

Men and women think so differently for a reason. These differences strike a balance between the sexes. When one can’t seem to come up with a plan, the other provides it. Where one is weak, the other is strong. A man can come up with a plan that is absolutely ingenious. At the same time, there is always a woman who will shoot holes in it or will find fault in his plan; or even come up with a better plan. A man gets the whole picture in a box, and the woman smoothes the corners out to make a circle. So, who’s method, plan idea is the best?

I can only answer that with: Whichever method gets the results you are reaching for is the better way, method or idea. If you can show me a way, method or idea that I like better, then that’s the way I will do it. Since that may not come to pass, then why don’t you do it my way?