An inspirational, motivational morning read.

I was riding the bus into work yesterday with a coworker (we often ride together), chatting it up when another coworker (one we don't know well and who rarely rides the bus with us) randomly interjected:





"Have you read this book?"


Then she shoved the following book in our faces:

"No," the two of us replied.

(I instantly thought, after seeing the title...yes, of course they are necessary, or else you wouldn't be here. it takes two, baby! But, now on with the conversation...)

"Well, I've always wanted to read it. It's been on the NY Times Best Seller list for a while. Then I saw it at a garage sale and snagged it up," she proudly exlaimed.

"I always liked that journalist until she irked me one day with her stance on bringing pets on airplanes," quipped my friend.

(I thought that a random stance to cause you totally alienate yourself from a well-like journalist, but...oh well)

I'm afraid when I saw the title of the book, I instantly tuned out of the conversation. I still heard everything they were saying, but I was staring straight ahead out the window, not participating.

You know, the standard "There's a village in Africa where the men and women split into their own villages. The women's village thrived while the men's village floundered," and the "highly educated women with powerful jobs have trouble getting married because no men want a women with brains. They don't want someone to talk to, they just want someone to..." or the "why is it called 'babysitting' when men watch their own children? It's your own dang child. It's not calleed babysitting when I watch the child" or "why is it called 'helping' when a man does the dishes?" kind of comments.

This lady on the bus was bitter!!! And I was irritated. Look, there are times (usually after watching some dumb program on the TV or something) that I do believe all men are jerks. Then I look over and see Adam "helping" with the dishes and change my mind. Adam "helps" with the dishes all the time.

I decided that these poor ladies have just never met the right kinda guy. I sure think my man is necessary. And you know what, I don't mind doing the dishes for him. And I don't mind him "helping" with dishes. And I don't mind if he thinks of it as "helping" me. What's so wrong with that? I don't think my little home would thrive without my Mr.! I think I would be lonely and sad, and maybe a bit directionless, too.

Why can't people just acknowledge that women and men are two different entities? I may not ever, ever, ever understand why Adam likes to watch/check/read about sports ALL the time, but I bet he'll never quite get the fact that I like to go to Target and walk around looking, even if I don't buy anything. Different. Not better. Not worse.

I was wondering why you would ever want to start your day with such a book. I mean, what a great attitude-setter for the early a.m. Then, later that day, I just kept thinking that if a similar book were published about women, war would ensue. Bitter war. I do know that I was ever so happy to get off that bus, leave the crankypants, panties-in-a-twist lady and head towards a bright, sunshiny day.