Heart Day

Wisdom teaches that 2 is better than one. Boys are not wise.

Intimacy and vunerabila-something are not words that make much sense to many men. And on this day celebrating love, I am aware of how very much I have yet to learn.

I am in great debt to my wife for 15 Valentines Days. Some are remembered only with sadness. But today we can smile and look forward to fanning the flames of many more heart days.

Love is a complex thing on the best days. Love requires the skillful navigation of a man. Boys need not apply and yet I was a boy when I said "I do". I made many a boyish choice and treated love flippantly.

Loving well is something a man must master. It is something that I will pursue and celebrate for as many Valentine's Days as we have left.

Mmmm Fire

Winter brings my favorite aroma drifting through the evening air. The smell of burning wood. There is something basic and untamed that ignites inside when sparks fly away from the ashes.

Building a fire is something every man should try at least once. It brings a real sense of power and satisfaction. If I get stranded in the woods or terrorists take out the electrical grid, I know I can provide warmth, protection and light for me and my family. Just make sure I have my trusty bic lighter. Rubbing sticks together? Bah! Never leave home without a lighter near!

Have I ever made a fire with what the forest provides only? No. Could I? If Tom Hanks can, I think there is hope for us all.

All I care about is my car.

Really??? Granted, this is one of the commercials from the super bowl that only made men out to be bitter. The rest painted us as shallow, self-absorbed, pants loathing idiots.

I get it. Men can get a singular focus that makes us useless to everybody in the area. But I refuse to be counted as only a beer chugging, cheerleader gawking, frat boy.

There is "boy" at work in us. And that boy is a marketing manager's dream.

Every man and boy likes cool toys...Like mobile blogging.

Are we there yet?

Suppose I tell you that I am a man.

A picture pops into your head. That image of a man comes from somewhere. What kind of men have you known? Have they been "good" men?

What if I tell you, I am boy?

"What kind of boy?" you might wonder.

Every boy wants to be a man and rarely feels confident that he is one. I must know myself both as boy and man, for in both I hope to be led and lead others.