Caution: men working
The Big Guy and his friend are making a huge racket in the middle of a Pearl Writing work day. They’re taking out a little cheap pantry door in our kitchen, and putting in a new! stained! oak door!
I am trying not to think of the fact that now our friend knows how often we don’t mop our floors, but in fact it is a little hard to concentrate with all that noise. Is that a power saw?
Our friend, who is also the pastor of our church, was formerly a high school Wood Shop teacher, and is teaching the Big Guy how to do this project. In the past, John has helped Joe learn how to replace soffit and fascia (cool words, huh?) on our elderly home. And because of these projects, I have been forced to confront a long-held stereotype that I didn’t even really know I had.
I can’t believe the Big Guy doesn’t know how to do this stuff. Isn’t that part of the DNA of men? Aren’t they just supposed to know how to fix things? That said, isn’t it silly that I just expect him to know how?
When I was a kid, I helped my parents built a house by hand. I’m not exaggerating here. They had a contractor put in the basement and frame, and we built the entire rest of the house ourselves. Mom, dad, and two girls of elementary school age who did what they were directed to do. You’d think that I’d be the handy one, right? And if I had to, I suppose that I could put in a door, but it might not be done exactly right. For some reason, the Big Guy insists on things being done properly.
In retrospect, I have pretty high assumptions about the home repair abilities of men. Just like I assume Joe is going to put away things on the top shelves because he’s taller than me, I assume he’s going to fix things because he has the testosterone and the tools. In fact, I see that I have included it in my definition of manhood. How ridiculous.
There is no doubt in my mind (or anyone else who has met both of them) that Joe is more of a man than my dad. If we’re talking testosterone-laced activities, my husband out-mans the Marlboro Man: he can actually rope a steer and brand a calf. He also has amazing qualities that I didn’t even know I wanted in a man until I met him. He counsels heroin addicts and comforts teenage girls ( do you know how hard that is?). He is a true Renaissance man whose knowledge of science, arts, music, psychology, religion, and math is astounding. He can make anyone laugh.
And as of today, he knows how to install a door, and I don’t.
Published by angelawd on September 21st, 2007 tagged Life With the Big Guy
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