When I left California, I saw someone stuffing a little white dog into a carrier, and then I heard the dog woof a few times when we took off. In Salt Lake City we had a layover before heading to Dallas, and I spotted the dog again, helping his owner with her multitasking. I couldn't resist getting their picture (and her permission to post the photo).
On the flight out of Salt Lake City, the guy a couple rows ahead of mine and across the aisle was reading the men's magazine, Maxim. I wasn't exactly reading over his shoulder, more like reading over his wrist, and all I could read was article headings. A couple of them caught my eye.
Now, when I'm in the checkout line at the grocery store, the women's magazines, like Cosmopolitan, have cover headines that say things like, "How to please your man." I guess that's the kind of thing a woman with a man to please worries about. But this guy's Maxim gave me a glimpse into the male mind.
The first headline, partway down the left column of the page, said, "What Can I Do To Get A Woman To Stop Crying?"
I have no idea what Maxim's advice was, but a couple answers came to mind. First, get used to it. It's what they do. Women cry. You'll ask her what's wrong, and she'll say one of two things: "I don't know," or "Nothing...." She is not lying to you. If she knew what was wrong, she'd tell you. Sometimes she just needs to cry.
Second, don't try to fix whatever is wrong. Just offer her your shoulder to cry on, and if she accepts, put your arms around her. DO NOT try to touch her intimately. That is the worst possible course of action at this time. Just let her finish, and when she's done, go from there.
After the guy on the plane turned the page, there was another article, partway down the left column of the page, and the headline said, "How Can I Survive A Mountain Lion Attack?"
I find it very telling that these two articles had the same question format, the same font, and the same placement on the page. I can only surmise that these two questions address the same level of trauma in the eyes of a man.
1 comment:
When my husband has seen me cry, the look on his face does resemble fear. Not so much the look of a wild animal attack, more like being tied to the railroad tracks and a slow, steam engine is about a mile away, knowing the next hour of his life will be torture until it's over.
I enjoy the pictures, Skye. Have a great trip.
Post a Comment