He Said. She Said.

Robert Gray published a book not too long ago called, "Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus." (I'm not sure that I have that title correct.) Although it sold quite a few copies, it was not the most interesting book. In fact, the premise of it was that women and men communicate differently.

The reason why any of this is interest is that there are definitely times in our lives when it would seem that Mr. Gray could give us some helpful advice on why communicating with the opposite sex can sometimes be less than successful.

Men tend to be more direct and sometimes that throws women off guard. Women are used to circling around issues and often when they are out socially, complaining to a friend about a particular situation or person, they don't really want the bald truth. They want sympathy, nodding your head, and agreeing that it's a tough situation for them.

The older I get, the more dissatisfied I am with that whole scenario, particularly when your friend is making bad choices and constantly wanting sympathy. I feel sorry for men who get caught up in situations where they think they are giving helpful advice that is viewed with contempt by women.