how to have a relationship

Dave Barry's commentary on the ins and outs of a relationship were very humorous to me. By the age of 20, I was in a relationship for four years, and then one day, it practically evaporated into thin air. Yes, it was terrible, but I look back on it and I have learned and grown so much as a person. I say this with such bluntness because when I read this story, I laughed, smiled, and saw far too many connections within my life and the numerous relationship stories I've heard. I've always heard it said that if you can look back on a past experience and laugh about it, even if it was at one time a complete struggle, you've successfully come out on top and are ready to move forward. 

Dave Barry points out the characteristics that we, as women, notice and dread about men in general, and the way that they perceive relationships. Commitment and the idea or classification of a "relationship" can be rough territory; even just starting out the conversation can be like embarking on a boating trip through the Bermuda triangle. Guaranteed, you and your potential suitor will not have a 100% resemblance in your idea of what a relationship means, how communication plays a part, the social implications of your "relationship", etc. Plus, being a girl, I know we over think these details WAY too much. We, oh so terribly, dissect the smallest details of a conversation, add in details that didn't even happen, and make the situation much worse than it really needs to be. As I say this, I realize how embarrassing and utterly ridiculous it is, but hey, it's a work in progress for all of us women! 

We learn from the way our father treated our mother, grew from how people of the opposite sex treated us as we grew up, and as life moves forward you begin to establish your standards and requirements for a suitor. And... those might be wildly unrealistic, but it's a start. I love the way Barry exaggerated the way we as women must remind, and continuously reestablish the fact that "me and you are in a relationship." Hilarious! It brought out many cackles and giggles from myself. 

I believe that exaggeration is the prime factor in the story that makes it, in a way, relatable, and yet so laughter inducing. I love the example of how the wife must remind the husband after many years of marriage that they are in fact married! This form of exaggeration make the story beyond a real "relationship guide" and molds it into a complete parody of relationships as we know them today. But just like anything in the world we live in today,  not all men act in the highly exaggerated and made-fun of way that Barry describes...thankfully. 

But hey, that's not to say that just because the men have this way about them to be oblivious and distant from the relationships at hand, women are perfect. Because we aren't. We make mistakes, exaggerate, emotionalize, and dramatize a lot. I think Barry could write a very well-versed commentary on the absurdity of women in relationships and induce quite a lot of laughter. 


until out next laugh, 

amanda