Men

Welcome to the Natural Awakenings Men’s Edition. Some of my favorite people are men. Mark, Joshua and Matthew—my husband, brother and son—all inspire me on a nearly daily basis; the rest of the time I just look at them and wonder why. Then I found this quote from Will Rogers, and it cleared up my confusion:
 
“There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.”
 
Rogers was a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and Oklahoma’s most famous performer, actor and social commentator of the early 1900s. He wrote more than 4,000 nationally syndicated newspaper columns and was known world-wide for his witty sayings. Like the one above.
 
Growing up on a little farm like Rogers did, and having witnessed the prior-mentioned experiences with electric fences, I can tell you that they are quite shocking. And hilarious. Getting zapped by an electric cattle fence is not really dangerous, but it does get your attention in a spectacular way. Even when you tell someone that the fence is there, and that they will get shocked if they touch it, straddle it, bump into it, ride over it, etcetera, there are still some people who just NEED to experience it for themselves. Those are my people!
 
Gaining information from reading is vital. Observational learning is also important. But doing is often where we truly learn those life lessons. Sometimes, the learning is stunning, possibly shocking, but the doing of a thing really gets the message across. Now, sometimes what we learn is that we don’t ever again want that same experience. But then, we might learn the experience was worth the shock.
 
This willingness to jump in and do it is one of my favorite aspects of the men in my life, and of men in general. Men are often the action takers, the fixers, the “let’s just try this and see what happens” kind of people that keep our state and nation running. If you have men in your life like those in mine, then I know you appreciate the “can-do” attitude they often show when faced with life’s challenges. So here’s to my favorite guys. All of them are educated, intelligent men who read and observe, who spend time pondering and planning. But when necessary, or sometimes just for fun, they are more than willing to just DO IT. And I get to stand back and laugh.
 
With love and veggies,
 
Shanna