♦◊♦ “I love you.” (nope) “You look beautiful.” (nope) “Let’s go shopping!” (depends how you say it, but still, no) “How’s your mother?” (no, this will just make her suspicious of you) Those are all nice to say, and many women want to hear them from their partner; they like to feel cherished. But none
I’m your average great guy, with three sisters, two amazing mothers and great relationships with them all. I’m great friends with women, but I ain’t no “friend-zone” kinda guy, either. I’ve had my share of great romance. However, when I look back at intimate loves past, I see my backyard field of dreams filled with
“It works well to think your adversary is evil. … Then you can hate your enemy and hate can fuel many confrontations. But in our hearts, [women] naturally love men. Just as men naturally love women.” ~ Alison Armstrong ♦◊♦ Being a “Feminist” doesn’t mean setting women on pedestals and tossing men under buses. It
Ignorance of the masculine and feminine archetypal energies at play in our intimate relationships, whether straight or gay, can cost us everything.
“We have to take responsibility for what we are not responsible for.” ~ Robert Moore ~ ♦◊♦ In 2013, I attended a large workshop with 2000-ish people, about half men and women. One day, the facilitator asked this question of the men: “Men, raise your hand if you have felt unsafe at any point during the last week.”
♦◊♦ When I was 22 and in the US Air Force, I spent 4 months wondering if I was gay. I was stationed in Oklahoma City, deeply unhappy, certain I was supposed to be doing something on the planet far more inspired and evolutionary than learning about avionics systems on 50-year old KC-135 aircraft. Although
“Those caught up in the structures and dynamics of Patriarchy seek to dominate not only women but men as well. Patriarchy is based on fear – the boy’s fear, the immature masculine’s fear – of women, to be sure, but also fear of men. Boys fear women. They also fear real men.” ~ quoted from King
Most men think we have to bear our burdens alone. We don’t confess our worries, our sadnesses, our confusion, our despair. And that kills men.
♦◊♦ I used to think women were only afraid of aggression in men, in all its forms: anger, rage, physical violence, verbal abuse, sexual aggression, rape. I grew up with all kinds of conflicting social messages about the wrongs (and subtle rights) of violence against women. With three sisters and two mothers (married to my
♦◊♦ I’ve finally realized that I’m not supposed to understand my woman. I am only supposed to love her in all her wild mystery. I’m a “core masculine” man. I wouldn’t want to completely understand a woman, anyway. Like most men, once I understand or completely figure something out – or even think I have –