Me: Check this video out. I'm doing this in April!
We proceed to watch this clip......
Me: I'm so jacked, I can't wait.
Wife: Yeah, you're not doing that.
Me: What?!
Wife: You're gonna get yourself killed. I don't need our new baby with a dad that got shocked to death at the finish line of some stupid race.
Me: It's only 10,000 volts. I'll be fine.
Wife: That might be the dumbest idea I've ever seen. What's wrong with just staying home?
Me: It's a way to prove I'm a warrior.
Wife: Then go for a jog through the woods or something.
Should have seen this coming. Wife and I have been together for almost 9 years now (5 dating 4 married). In that amount of time, I should have known how to better approach her with this news.
She asks a great question though, "What's wrong with just staying at home?" My response was slightly exaggerated - the part about being a warrior. But really, sometimes a guy just has to prove something to himself. Right?
- Maybe a there is a broken blender in the house. Guy wants to take it apart and fix it, Girl wants to go get a new one from Target. (we got a new one from Target, I couldn't figure the stupid thing out).
- Where can we put our keys to keep them in one spot? Guy wants to build a keyring holder for the wall, Girl wants to buy one that matches the rest of the room. (We presently have a non-matching makeshift keyring holder built by yours truly).
- Traveling to some relatives house that you haven't been to in a while? Guy swears he can find the place from memory, Girl wants to alleviate any threat of being lost by bringing a GPS just to be safe. (We've done both plenty of times, but when we do have the GPS, I pretend not to look at it)
Why the need to do unnecessary things when there are other - usually safer and less stressed - options? I don't know the answer. All I have are examples. Sometimes a guy's gotta face down a challenge. He has to prove his worth. Practicality is meaningless in these situations. It's a modern day showdown at high noon.
I had to change my tire recently. This isn't very difficult. On this occasion though, it was dark and the lug nuts were rusted on tight. After a good half-hour and finally getting on the spare, I went upstairs victorious. My hands were dirty. Dirty hands are great. I love when my hands are dirty. It usually means I was doing some type of challenging work.
It is October of 2011. A century ago, it took a lot of hard work and physical labor to maintain a home and look out for a family. Centuries before that it took even more work. Centuries before that, and so on. Today, the labor factor is greatly lifted due to technology, but the need to conquer a task is still there. Maybe that's why the Tough Mudder is so appealing, because it gives us a chance to conquer something.
So far, I've sort of been able to persuade Wife to let me go to the Tough Mudder (like I need her permission!). As long as I bring someone with me. I think her exact words were, "Someone who can keep you in control and make sure you don't do anything stupid." That sounds about right.
Takers? Anyone? Teammates?
My bro, sis and few friends are doing it. Im in pending job situation. Also think we get some Baby Bjorns and take the kiddos thru it. Good bonding
ReplyDeleteI figured your brother would try something like this. Maybe get a camouflage print Baby-Bjorn for effect. It would be cool. Yours could be pink camo.
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