I love women. I really do. This isn’t something I say lightly. It’s as much to do with the hundreds of amazing women I’ve met in my lifetime, as the ones whose accomplishments I’ll watch in raptured awe from afar. I recently wrote "a love letter to my girlfriends", to thank them for all they’ve brought to my life. It was meant to be a love letter to all women really, and to celebrate all that women do to enrich the world. Whether they’re strong, soft, tough, tiny, athletic, successful, shy, bodacious or a bit of everything combined; girls are a great invention.
However, there’s another equally wonderful invention that makes the world the fantastic place it is. That invention is men. Though they be tall, short, metrosexual, outdoorsy, sport loving, art loving, businessmen, firemen, students, construction workers, teachers, chefs, traditional, cynical, non-conformist, health nuts, couch potatoes, intense, laid back, or anything in between; there is nothing to compare to men. They have so much to teach us about life, if we’ll only take the time to watch and learn.
I think I understand why we may not want to take the time, though. There seems to be an overwhelming amount of distrust between the sexes at times, and a fair amount of man bashing by women who are far too fabulous for such activities, in my opinion. Are there men that deserve a bit of tough talk at times? Yes, and there are women that deserve their share as well. The important thing to remember is that no individual person is perfect all of the time, or is responsible for all of the sins of their gender. They don’t deserve to be mistrusted or mistreated for anything that happened to us at the hands of someone else. The part to focus on is what we can learn from one another, how we can use each other’s strengths to reinforce our weaknesses, and how we can attempt to understand something that may simply be different, rather than wrong.
What follows is a list of a few items that have been called out as differences between the sexes. I’ve taken a closer look to see if there isn’t something we can learn from them.
WARNING: BRAZEN GENERALITIES/MANY EXCEPTIONS EXIST
1. They don’t ask for directions~Men aren’t afraid to go it alone, or to make mistakes. They’re also willing to take either the glory or the gore that goes along with that decision. There’s something to be said for believing in yourself enough to say that whatever happens you know you’ll be fine and you’ll figure it out. Besides, how many new worlds would have been found if a man hadn’t been willing to point his ship to sea and just sail?
2. They say what they mean~How wonderful would it be to say yes or no, I like it or I don’t, without any agenda or games? When he said he didn’t notice your new haircut, he simply didn’t notice your new haircut. It has absolutely nothing to do with whether he liked it or not, or whether he loves or cares about you. No hidden meaning, and innocent honesty, means much more energy for things that matter.
3. They’re “fixers”~Rather than analyzing and reanalyzing, men are better at accepting what has happened, where they currently find themselves, and then looking for solutions. They seem to live by the motto “Fix it, and move on.”, rather than staying stuck in the “what ifs”.
4. They don’t show emotion~Do I really believe men are completely fearless, and without emotion? No. What I do believe is that they’ve been better trained to appear fearless and stoic. I also believe this has as much of an impact on them, as it does on those around them. In other words, they’re affirming/facing what they need to, and not allowing irrational emotions to control them. They’re convincing themselves they’re not afraid, as much as they’re convincing anyone else.
5. They’re simple in their needs~They know what they need, and want, and they do not apologize for it. This may be the most controversial point on the list, but isn’t it interesting that when you really break it down, most of the things that men do are aimed at getting things like food, fulfillment, sex and sleep? If only we were able to break down our needs to such simple categories, and unapologetically go get them, or ask for them.
I see so many wonderful things in men, and I admire them. I especially admire their ability to integrate those things that were once considered too feminine, and that may not come naturally to them. Things like being more active in raising children, showing emotion, supporting their partner’s career, and in many other areas once considered off limits to them. In short, this is a post in praise of men, because life is much to short not to appreciate and celebrate the differences, as well as, the things that make us exactly the same.
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