Giving and Taking

If I don’t have music playing in the background, I’ll have a podcast I’m listening to. I’ve heard some interesting ones, recently. People talking about “high value men”, and women’s “body counts”. I discovered my husband is in the top 3.25% of American men. Statistically, only 15% of men are taller than 6 feet. If you also want him to be good looking, not obese or ugly, that halves, to 7.5%. If you want him making over $100,000 a year, it halves again. So, he’s 3.25% of men. I’ve always highly valued my man, but I hadn’t ever looked at it like that. According to the “experts” on this podcast, “high value men” cheat. Women shouldn’t expect them to be faithful, because all women are fighting for the top 10% of men. If they’re in that, you can’t expect monogamy. Bullshit! I didn’t marry him when he was making money. We struggled and sacrificed. We have built the life we have, together! Even Adam gives me credit, in his success. If I didn’t take care of our kids, our home, him, then he wouldn’t have been able to devote the same time and energy into his career. He had an old college friend come by, one time. His friend was going on and on about how his wife didn’t ever do anything, because she was a new mom. They had a 4 month old new baby! Adam looked at his friend, and told him “I could never trade places with Eve. She works hard, everyday. It’s not easy to take care of our babies, our home, our finances, and she does an amazing job of it.” Hearing my husband say those words, especially to this friend of his, stuck with me all this time! It means a lot to me, when he appreciates me, too.

Truthfully, he definitely works harder than I do. Just compare our hands. He has rough, calloused hands. Mine are soft and smooth. My day is easier than his, even on the harder days. I texted him, awhile back, and told him about what my morning had entailed. The dog threw up on our bed. Our daughter was sick. She’d been throwing up. There was a lot happening, but I told him I’m here washing our bedding, after having to clean up puke all morning, and thinking, I am so grateful that I can be here, taking care of our baby when she’s sick. Even when I’m doing the dirtiest jobs, I would rather be here, cleaning up puke, than doing Adam’s job! He’d rather be doing what he does, to take care of his family. I’d rather be doing what I do, to take care of my family. We see such value in each other, and the way we each contribute to our family. I think some folks out in “podcast land”, have cynical ideas about men and women. Like men want beauty and sex, and women look at men like wallets. It makes me sad for the people who go through life, with that type of mindset. Relationships aren’t about “what can you give me”. Fulfillment comes from the things I can do for my husband, and vice versa, for him with me. It’s not supposed to be a 50/50 partnership. You both give everything you can. We choose to love each other. You don’t always feel like it. You do it anyway. These people, who only see relationships as a transaction, they’re missing out on something so beautiful.

I couldn’t imagine starting over. The connection Adam and I have built together, is worth more than all the money and sex ever could be. There’s more to life than just money and sex. It makes me sad that there are people who might never know that for themselves.