Love is one of life’s greatest joys. But to make the most of it, I’ve learned that I must always be willing to choke down a mouthful of pride and admit that, maybe, you know, I’m just not right all of the time. In fact, I’m a little bit unright. No, no. I’m slightly off-mark, left of right. Oh, hell—I’ll just say it. I’m wrong. Dead. Effing. Wrong.
By now, my fiancée and I have been together long enough that she’s seen me in every state of wrongness you can imagine. I’ve packed the wrong things for camping trips and said the wrong things to her mother. In one egregious moment of wrongness, I insisted that a big pinch of salt would make our tequila-loaded party punch completely irresistible. The friends I foisted that briny beverage on did not agree.
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I’ve learned to be quick to admit when I’ve screwed up. In fact, on the path to engagement, there are a few things that I’ve learned I should probably just concede to once and for all. For some of life’s trials, the steadfast logic of the female brain is simply better equipped. Here are eight examples of unassailable truth in action.
1. Yup, We Do Always Have Room to Split Dessert
It doesn’t matter how much dinner I ate or how insistent I am that I don’t want even a single bite of her crème brûlée. If she orders it, I’m all in. The sugar hit—not to mention two spoons hovering over one small dish—is an excellent way to end any dinner.
2. Yeah, Maybe We Need to Get Our Financial Shit Together
When a relationship ends in divorce, who do you think is more likely to rush out and blow their life’s savings on a sports car? The man or the woman? It’s a no-brainer! Dudes can be impulsive with money. Women are just more cautious with investing and more sensible with long-term planning. Or that's been my experience anyway. If I keep listening to my fiancée, we’ll be more likely to have a nest egg that affords us lots and lots of créme brûlées in the future.
3. Fine. Speeding Won't Save Us Any Time
Again—women can be more cautious. That’s why they get better car-insurance rates. I’ve learned that if a woman comments on my driving, it means I’m probably driving like an asshole. Plus, dropping from 70 to 60 miles per hour on a 50-mile drive adds a mere seven minutes to the trip. You can bet it takes a lot more time than that for a cop to pull you over and issue a ticket.
4. Hmmm, This STOP Sign Does Make the Kitchen Look Like an Applebee's
We can all agree that it looked real swell in the bar. But that doesn’t mean it will look good in your apartment. Trust her on this. Women have highly evolved senses about interior decorating.
5. Whoa, Moisturizer is Everything
Here’s the best grooming tip I can offer another guy: Get a woman in your life. She will fill your bathroom with creams and oils and things that foam, and so long as you heed her advice on how to use them, your face will look better than it ever did back when ladies were still swiping left on your ugly mug.
6. Yeah, That Girl Was Definitely Flirting
It’s no secret that women have a better sense of intuition about people. So when a woman tells a man that another lady wants him in her bed, she’s probably right. Single guys can use this to their advantage: A trusted gal pal can help determine whether that hot brunette he's talking to at work is worth pursuing. And for guys in relationships: Listen to your wives and girlfriends. If they warn you against a home wrecker, it’s because they detect motives that you can’t.
7. Okay, We're Not Tough Enough for Spin Class
We men are too quick to dismiss any workout that doesn’t involve hoisting heavy pieces of iron off of steel racks. But any guy who’s been to an indoor-cycling class knows: That shit is hard. Hell, Pilates is hard. Yoga ain’t no stroll through the garden, either. Those classes will make even the burliest gym rat question his strength. And since they require the use of new muscles, they’ll likely leave him sore, too.
8. We Really Do Need to Talk About It
Guys can have a hard time with the F-word. It can be uncomfortable to even say it. But here goes: feelings. Women know how important it is to talk about life ambitions, stressful days at work, things that need to change about the relationship, and so on. It behooves us men to go along with these routine chats because guys who do so, I’ve learned, will have happier, healthier love lives. They’ll probably see more action in the bedroom, too. (And more sex isn't everything, but hey—it doesn't hurt!)
Clint Carter is a reporter and editor with a magazine journalism degree from the University of Missouri.
