Earlier this year just over one hundred women gathered at St. Paul's for a women's breakfast. The wife of a former minister spoke and a good time was had by all. Of course men eat breakfast, and today about sixty of them came together for an excellent meal prepared by Chef Geoff. Men do eat breakfast, regularly, they just don't eat with other guys the way women get together for meals. Why is that? Why are there more women's book clubs and discussion groups and bible studies and dinner parties? To say it just isn't a guy thing isn't very helpful, but that was the best I could come up with in conversation with my wife. It's odd really, because St. Paul's men are about as amiable a bunch as you're going to find in a church.
Remember the TV show Home Improvement starring Tim Allen? He turned a funny stand-up comedy routine into a successful sitcom built around a toy-obsessed, pleasantly emotionally immature klutz. Tim raises three boys with his wife, although he often appears to be the fourth kid. He was the stereotypical male and men loved the show.
Men often seem more comfortable on their own or in conversation over sports or other "guy" activities and we are generally less comfortable with emotional and spiritual stuff. So we got together today and it was good, but our speaker, Rob Faulds, is a sportscaster rather than a preacher's spouse. I should say that Rob was very entertaining, and the men asked questions afterward with enthusiasm. The barbershop singers brought a smile to everyone's face, and the food was scrumptious. A great idea from the 175th Anniversary committee.
With sixty men in the room there may be hope for us yet, although I hear that several wives bought their husbands' tickets and shooed them out the door this morning.
I would invite responses, but they might all be from women!
4 comments:
This woman is weighing in. I think that it is the make up of the species. Women seem to need the social encounters to survive and thrive while men don't seem to crave that social aspect. I enjoy going out with friends and find I "need" that social time with fellow females, while my spouse is content with my company and doesn't crave male outings. It is a male thing.
My husband likes to eat, period. Food will get him there. I think men just have to be bribed. There has to be a reason to meet and eating is a reason that doesn't involve too much public soul searching. women are happy to meet for any reason.
I have wondered why these are separate events. Also it seems that the men's breakfast gets better speakers.
Ya, i commented to my wife, Ruth, that in restaurants you see men with their wives (presumably) but not so much with other men. But women will get together to enjoy one another's company with just about any excuse.
You're right, Laurie, about mixed groups. I'm sure many men would have enjoyed hearing Mrs. Schammerhorn and the stories I related to Ruth from this morning made her laugh.
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