The love affair with men and their cars is legend. A man and his automobile are not easily separated. More than one exasperated wife has said that her husband is more married to his car than her, especially when she is going to bed alone while her husband tinkers with his car in the garage until the wee hours of the morning.

More than one divorce has been blamed on a man spending more time with his car than his wife. Some men even talk to their cars more than they do to their wives. No wonder some slighted women appreciate cars but view the hunk of metal and parts as a real threat to their relationship. And, while another woman may turn a man's head, most men do drive their car home. A few cynical men might suggest that they talk more to their cars because the car does not keep talking back.

It is probably a good idea to stay in communication with your vehicle, or at least practice good listening skills, as many potential problems with your vehicle will announce themselves before surfacing into an operational breakdown.

It is probably an even better idea to stay in communication with your wife, as relationships thrive on communication and wither without it. Men who think that the opposite of love is hate would be particularly vulnerable to a lack of communication.

The opposite of love is not hate. Both love and hate are very strong emotions psychologically. More than one Hollywood starlet who became a star in the golden era of movies was dubbed tempestuous because of a stormy relationship or marriage. Their strong, conflicting emotions would sustain a love-hate relationship, apparently because making up was really that good.

A guy that may know how to make an engine purr may not know that the opposite of love is not hate, but indifference. You have only to mention the "silent treatment" for them to connect the wires, and understand the real meaning of indifference. When a woman has had it, even a casual effort at communication draws a steely response, which could mean sleeping on the couch that night rather than in bed.

When children become a mix in the marriage, the parents most often fight about money, and how to raise the children, however, it is a lack of communication that will eventually lead the parents to the divorce court.

Marriage is a full time job, and if you are not constantly working at it, you will not have a marriage. Communication is the glue that holds a good marriage together. Mistakes and regrets can be overcome with a good, positive attitude, some understanding, and counseling, but a lack of communication will kill the best of intentions.

The bottom line is that, while your car is important and tugs at your heartstrings, the relationships in your life are even more important. You may become even more aware of this when you are driving alone and wondering where your wife and children are.

Listen to your car. Listen to your wife. Listen to anyone important in your life. Just make sure you communicate more with people than your car. You will then be assured that there will be someone to ride with in your vehicle. Growing old alone is no fun, even if you do have a love affair with your car.

A final sobering thought: Could the new "car" for today's Internet Marketer be the monitor he is looking at?

Copyright (c) 2006 Ed Bagley