So, this is kind of a random topic, but then again, so was my last one :). Basically, I got this from a book (title is the same as that of this post) that very aptly describes just what goes on in the brain of each gender, generally. It’s a good read, if you want to take the time.

So, Boys are like Waffles. I know you’re thinking “Whaaaat?”, especially if you’re a boy reading this. Personally, I love waffles. The way you can fill each box with syrup delights me for several minutes until my fun ceases with the filling of all the boxes. What’s really annoying, though, is how sometimes the syrup won’t fill a box the entire way. But enough about syrup and waffles. The reason why guys are like waffles is because that’s how their brains sort things. Each individual topic belongs to a certain “box”, with each box separated and distinct from one another. When a boy is talking about a certain topic, it is almost impossible for him to change to another topic on the fly (like girls tend to do) because it is like a brain exercise for them; it’s like they have to jump from one box to another.

They also have what I fondly call the “nothing” box. As you can guess, that is the box into which they put absolutely NOTHING (I know ladies, shocking, right?).  Sometimes, like when talking to a girl, their brain gets so tired of jumping from box to box, topic to topic, that finally they land into their “nothing” box and zone out. We girls have all experienced this. This is the point in which the drool begins to descend. When we finally cease our chatter and notice their vacant expressions and we ask “what are you thinking about?”, they respond with “Oh, nothing”. That sends our girl minds into a frenzy. All these thoughts bounce around within our skulls. Does he think I’m boring? Maybe he doesn’t like me! Do I have something in my teeth? Oh my gosh, is he thinking of someone else?

But the truth is, he’s really thinking what he says he’s thinking; nothing at all!

Girls, on the other hand, are comparable to one of my favorite dishes, spaghetti. Each train of thought is like a long strand of angel hair spaghetti, with each thought touching another in one way, shape, or form. That’s why, when we’re thinking of one thing, something in that thought reminds us of another thing, which suddenly gives rise to a thought that you can’t stand to keep to yourself and it finally bursts out. Boys’ heads get to jumping at this, trying to keep up, and not understanding how the subject you were just talking about suddenly changed to the present one. You get how it all connects perfectly, and can’t understand why he can’t keep up.

Obviously, I have a girl’s mind, as whoever knows me will testify. I tend to be talking about one thing and, while they are responding, my train of thought flies off the rails onto another track before I know it. I also know some guys who surprisingly are able to keep up with my trains of thought. Maybe they are like those waffles whose walls have cracks in them so that the syrup can ooze easily from box to box (I used to cut the “walls” on my waffles all the time when I was a kid and watch, fascinated, as the syrup would slowly trickle, liberated, into the available box).

I think everyone knows that girls can never have a “nothing” box. After all, our minds are so busy considering the wherefores and whys of the world that even at night, we fall asleep reflecting on the great questions of the universe, like how marshmallows are so pluff.

What brought me to this topic of discussion is that, during youth group today, our youth minister Aurelio (pronounced O-relly-o) had to bring in his young (adorable!) son, Noah, who is one year old. Noah has olive skin, almond eyes, and short fat little curls that hug his head in a tiny, curly afro, his chubby arms baby smooth. Here’s the part that got me; during Aurelio’s discussion with us, I couldn’t help but notice that Noah kept grabbing the boys’ attention by doing adorable things like swinging quite literally from chair to chair, or sitting very calmly in his daddy’s lap while just looking at us.

No matter how many times Aurelio tried to keep the attention off of his cute little baby, the boys just kept turning back to him, laughing at random points in the discussion. They just couldn’t quite seem to comprehend the fact the Aurelio was talking to us. They would glance up, try to jump into their “Bible time” box, fail, and return, defeated, to the “that baby is so adorable!” box. It was quite funny for me to watch the internal struggle in their heads. Some boys even unknowingly interupted the discussion to comment on some action or other of the baby. 

Yeah, I know I had all that buildup over a baby’s hysterics during youth group, but you’ve got to admit, it is funny. I wish I had taken a picture.