Life Through the Eyes of an Ordinary Man!

This article will be nothing more than introducing myself. I am a man. Nothing more, nothing less. I drag myself out of bed each day, moaning and groaning at the prospect of another day at a job that gives me no satisfaction, (anymore), and will probably send me to an early encounter with the cardiologist. I step into my own little "fortress of Solitude", a.k.a. the shower, and hope the hot water will wash away some of the days anticipated apprehension. I get dressed in middle management casual, (ties are not required at my place of employment, but we still need to maintain a professional demeanor), go to the kitchen and make my daily pot of energy, otherwise known as coffee, and prepare myself for the upcoming day of small victories and overblown defeats. I say small victories because after all, I'm just a man, I can't have truly large victories on my own. I say overblown defeats because after all, I'm a man unto myself, and all of my defeats are blown out of proportion and are always my fault.

In victory, I refer to the small battles we engage in everyday...actually going to work, making all the traffic lights while trying to get to work on time, (when was the last blue moon again?), remembering the dozen or so things I have to do that day,(and actually doing them!), getting my kids to clean up after themselves, (without harping), then have them get their homework done without forgetting that I always hated homework too! The list for this category is vast, but most involve others doing something or making something incumbent upon me to do. There are only a few true victories we can call our own on any given day. Here is a sampling:

not spilling coffee on ourselves while driving

getting a haircut

claiming the remote control after everyone is in bed

doing well in school, (if you take night courses like I do)

successfully picking at our private areas with nobody seeing us (it is an art)

sleep

Defeats, on the other hand, are many and always our fault. The people in our lives like to point out all of our mistakes and foibles each day under many guises. Here are some forms they come in:

Boss - "Consider it constructive critisicm"

Wife - "How many times do I have to ask you?"

Parent - "we raised you better than that"

Kids - "how come you can say those words?"

Friends - "you never call me anymore"

Credit card - "your account is overdue"

Bank - "your account is overdrawn"

Doctor - "you need to lose weight"

Utilities - "the cost is going up"

Town/City - "your taxes are going up"

Government - "your tax returns will be smaller"

Some of these we are not involved in alone. But most, if not all, land on us, the man, hard and often! We are breadwinners, or at the very least, co-breadwinners, (Lets not forget the men who stay at home to take care of business. They are also part of the equation as well!) We are fathers, husbands,boyfriends,significant others and yes, we are bastards. Why? Because we are put through the ringer, most days, trying to jockey and fight for some small victory we can call our own, but we can never seem to achieve. All we want somedays is to come home, take our coats off without being barraged with other peoples day, sit down for 10 minutes, have a drink, (readers choice), clear the demons of the day, and then take on everyone elses trials and tribulations. We don't ask for much, some food some shelter, some love and understanding, a little space, but most importantly, respect! Respect for the jobs we do and lives we affect each and everyday. We know and understand that we are not islands unto ourselves, but would it hurt to make us , (or at the very least let us), feel that way on occassion? We all don't want the world to bow at our feet, just show us that we're important, and that it's not always "our fault".