Every once in a while, I hear or read words that light up my life. Just today, I came across a book described as "tiresomely macho". I feel male but I probably am not sufficiently macho to pass muster as appropriately cocky, confident and convinced of my level of fabulousness. I do find some coaching language, especially in contact sports such as wrestling and football overly masculine. The moment in the Rambo movie where the hero thanks his beautiful, sexy rescuer ridiculous. See, real, real men not only speak rarely but have wooden lips so just a guttural or two is all they can allow themselves. Right - tiresomely macho.
I have been listening again to Dan Gilbert, Harvard professor of psychology. He explains that bad moods are temporary. They pass and a person may well be happier in the long run if down moods are not allowed to govern too many decisions:
"You're feeling low right now because Pa got drunk and fell off the porch, Ma went to jail for whupping Pa, and your pickup truck got repossessed—but everything will seem different next week and you'll really wish you'd decided to go with us to the opera."
Gilbert, Daniel. Stumbling on Happiness (p. 138). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Just reading the words to set us into a hillbilly setting and being whacked by the opera makes me laugh all over again.
One of my favorite quotes comes from Mark Twain:
"When I was 14, I could hardly stand my father. He was so stupid! But then, when I was 21, I was amazed at how much he had learned in only 7 years."
