Carol’s brother sent this to her. I offer it as a public service. Don’t shoot the messenger ladies……

Finally, the guys’ side of the story.

We always hear “the rules” from the female side.
Now here are the rules from the male side.

These are our rules!
Please note… these are all numbered “1” ON PURPOSE!

1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You’re a big girl. If it’s up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don’t hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Sunday sports. It’s like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be.

1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one:
Subtle hints do not work!
Strong hints do not work!
Obvious hints do not work!
Just say it!

1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it.
That’s what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. A headache that lasts for 17 months is a problem. See a doctor.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days.

1. If you won’t dress like the Victoria’s Secret girls, don’t expect us to act like soap opera guys.

1. If you think you’re fat, you probably are. Don’t ask us.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.

1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials.

1. Christopher Columbus did not need directions and neither do we.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say “nothing,” we will act like nothing’s wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

1. If you ask a question you don’t want an answer to, expect an answer you don’t want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine…Really.

1. Don’t ask us what we’re thinking about unless you are
prepared to discuss such topics as baseball, the shotgun formation, or monster trucks.

1. You have enough clothes.

1. You have too many shoes.

1. I am in shape. Round is a shape.

1. Thank you for reading this. Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight; but did you know men really don’t mind that? It’s like camping.

Pass this to as many men as you can – to give them a laugh.

Pass this to as many women as you can – to give them a bigger laugh!!

I am having a couple of upgrades added to my blog by the good folks at http://elegantwebscapes.com/

And of course Lisa is responsible for my design and is the most gracious of hosts (she is NOT responsible for the content however, so don’t blame her!).

But that is not what this post is about. I mentioned to her in a recent email that one of the first posts I had read on her blog had affected me deeply. She appeared somewhat surprised to hear that. I decided to tell the back-story here.

It was a year ago this month that I encountered Just a Girl in the World for the first time. Lisa had submitted a new design for Kate at Electric Venom, a blog I read regularly (you can find her and Lisa on my blogroll). Anyway, Kate invited her readers to take a looksee over at Lisa’s, so off I went. And there I found her telling of the story of Ann and George.

It is a beautifully written piece, and it is also very sad. I would have been moved regardless, but the story affected me so deeply because it reminded me of the struggle my dear friend Linda was going through in her battle with cancer. A few days after reading this post I got the call I had been dreading for months…. Linda was no longer responding to any treatment and was being moved to a hospice in Phoenix where she would be made as comfortable as possible for whatever time she had left.

Before I got on the plane to spend a few days with Linda at the end of her life, I printed a copy of Lisa’s post to carry with me. In an odd way, I found courage and strength from the story of Ann and George. Their love, their grace, their dignity. I wanted to be there for Linda and this story inspired me to rise above my own selfish sense of loss and allowed me to be a comforting friend and caregiver. We laughed and cried and remembered the special times we had shared, and I will always treasure those last moments together. Linda was the bravest person I have ever known. She never lost her faith or her humanity and despite crushing blows that would have destroyed lesser beings (her daughter committed suicide several months earlier), Linda fought on until her body finally failed. But her spirit never did.

Anyway, I mentioned in an earlier post that I had found several emails from Linda as I closed out my archives at work. And she has been especially on my mind as the anniversary of her death approaches. I also found a link to Lisa’s post titled “George”
in my old email. While I was in Phoenix I shared it with Linda’s sister and she agreed it sounded so much like Linda and Rick, and she was also moved by the power of love the story conveyed. You will be too, so go have a read.

So Lisa, a belated thank-you. You must be one hell of a caregiver, touching the lives of people you have never met through your compassionate words.

As a postscript, I got wrapped up in the events of my own life and struggles after Linda’s death and was an infrequent visitor to many of the blogs I had once followed. When I found out I was moving to Korea, I made the decision to get my own blog to share my experiences with family and friends back home. And yes, to share my views on politics and world events. I spent a week on blogspot and was not at all satisfied with the result. I started making some inquiries, and then I remembered Lisa. She had me set up and running in no time, and I am one very satisfied customer. Funny how the world works out sometimes, isn’t it?

Help Chief Wiggles “fill the plane”. Lots of help is still needed for Tsunami victims. And this is a way to ensure that the aid you contribute gets to the people in need (instead of Kofi’s son’s pocket, for example). If you want to know more about operation “fill the plane” you can find it here.

Well, they sent out a notice at work yesterday announcing my imminent departure. I have been getting some very nice emails from people I have worked with over these past four years. It is always gratifying to know that your work has been respected and appreciated. This particular email to my boss from a manager in our Philadelphia Regional Office was really touching:

I feel ambivalent. I’ll miss John’s wisdom and his commitment to his Customers. The C in customer is capitalized because that’s the attitude he exhibited to me, one of his Customers. He practiced a Standard of Excellence in dealing with his Customers. On the other hand, so few times in our lives do we really listen to our hearts and do what we truly believe that we are called to do, despite hardships, known and unknown. Stepping out there on faith is empowering and humbling.

My prayer is that may he know and have God’s Grace and may he be at Peace.

If appropriate pls feel free to share w/ him.

Thank you for the kind words Wendella. And thank you for understanding why I believe this is important. It has been a privilege to work with dedicated managers like you.