Musing

[written and published from Calgary]


-7C/19F, cloudy, gusty wind warming things up again; yesterday’s footprints are traction preventing ruts today that dogs just ignore while owners struggle to say erect; the wind stings a bit but it so fresh you could taste it

today is a holiday in many places; Family Day here, Presidents Day in the US while surely a work day somewhere else; hey there MW, don’t forget that CN celebrates a birthday today!

“COMPROMISE, n. Such an adjustment of conflicting interests as gives each adversary the satisfaction of thinking he has got what he ought not to have, and is deprived of nothing except what was justly his due.” - Ambrose Bierce

compromise is something I could never spell, let alone do, but lately as grey hairs outnumber all the other colours I am shifting to a new appreciation of things, a better appreciation of people; everything seems to have a price; in some form we give and get; what do we wish for, what will give up to have it?

the women I’ve been drawn to seem to have this power, to make men putty in their hands; no matter how stern or rough or immune we try to fake being, we men (each having their own type of woman perhaps), find this happens to us . . . it is not like an addiction to drug or alcohol, it is not a habit like smoking or gambling, it is without those negatives – but it pulls us, draws us, affects us and alters our behaviour

we let her, we want her, we admire her . . when she does these simple things; these things that make us melt, these things that soften us up to reveal our vulnerability, our weaknesses; what is this mysterious thing called the ‘woman of a certain age?’

are we simply weak, weakly simple or just really really clever?

I am strong of purpose, resolved in principles and I work like a bulldog with an ‘I never give up’ approach to things that matter; I’ve never been a complete pushover, but I have been relatively easy with some glaring exceptions, but . . men, and I think I am qualified to generalize on behalf of my sub-species, go mushy in the head when the woman-du-jour impresses us

are we complete pushovers . . do we want to completely change our plans, drastically alter our ‘what I want to do today’ or set aside our edginess or questions or reservations at the drop of a hat . . . . do we want to go for a drive in the country or simply hang out over scrambled eggs and coffee . . or all the above?

but really, how important is ‘getting our way’ or resisting changes to our routine, our lifestyle, our way of being?

truth is, though we will often try to avoid talking about it, we are pretty flexible, but we are compromised all the time

we give way on anything – everything – all the time, any time . . just to enjoy the hug of someone in rumpled hair gracing our kitchen in their long-johns (OK, pink long-johns) . . to find out what secrets Victoria is keeping?

will we admit that we bend to her will any time we get the chance; no, of course not

but we do

Mark Kolke
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