The Nothing Box

Men and women are created SO differently....that we all know. While we were engaged we did pre-marriage counseling and our counselor gave us books to read during (which...we may or may not still have...) called For Men Only and For Women Only by Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn. Really good books, they're pretty small and short-they did get a tad boring/hard to read at times considering the subject matter-but there are still things we continue to reference back to that it taught us.

One of the funnier things that we still use is the 'nothing box'. In the women's book it has a section on how men and women think differently. Well derrr.

Example-my box at any typical moment would consist of thoughts about: Caden, Gary, family, friends, work, bills, 'oh look-something shiney', recap of that day or previous events, blog ideas/wording, etc. All depends on what's going on...but if you've been in a conversation with me (nonetheless my mom and sister at the same time) then watch out, sometimes we tend to 'jump' or some would say drastically leap from one thing to the next, and still return to the first thing many minutes later as if we never left the first topic. It's just pure talent. 

Pretty funny catching the men's odd looks trying to keep up-oh, yeah, they're still in the room and 'in' the conversation? Whoops. 

While at the same moment my husbands box can consist of literally nothing. Seriously. Not sure how it is even possible, it's a VERY rare occasion for me and doesn't last long if it does happen. The book gave examples how we all have boxes of everything, but the difference comes when women can have multiple boxes 'open' at once and men (typically) can only have one, and if they need to go to another box they have to 'close' the current one and go to the next. Never having two 'open' at the same time. (boxes being thoughts/projects/etc., but if you haven't caught on to that much then sorry, your super lost...close your 'something shiney' box it must be distracting you.)

Often at night we'll be laying there and I'll ask Gary what he's thinking. Answer: nothing. Whaaaaaat?! Especially at night I'm not only replaying my day, and thinking of different ways I could have approached things, but I've also jumped between at least five different subjects. He'll ask back what I'm thinking and there have been times I just reply 'bleh, it's complicated and random.' To explain how I got from A to B, yet visited E, J, L, P, Q, V, and Z between that just makes me sound...as they would now say...cray cray.

Feedback-am I the only one?!?! Either way, at time -this is something that can annoying me because I want him to have multiple boxes open. But I've learned that's not his style, and I've been trying to learn more that his style is much more peaceful and sometimes for the best. Too often I try to control every aspect and event in life, even ones that have already passed. Yet I need to take a step back, let go of what has happened or is yet to happen, get in that nothing box and enjoy the present.

So for now, I'm going to get in that fun nothing box with my hubby and play some Lego Batman....yeah, your jealous, I know.