Feb 12 2009
Crossing the River
One day three men were hiking and came upon a raging stream. They needed to cross to the other side, but had no idea how to do it safely. The first man prayed to God, saying “Please God, give me the strength to cross this stream.”
Poof! God gave him big strong arms and legs, and he was able to cross the stream, after falling in twice.
The second man prayed, “Please God, give me the strength and the tools to cross this stream.”
Poof! God gave him a rowboat and he was able to get across after the boat almost capsized a couple of times.
The third man had seen how this had worked out for the other two, so he said: “God, please give me the strength, the tools and the wisdom to cross this stream.”
Poof! God turned him into a woman, who looked at the map, hiked upstream a hundred yards and walked across the bridge!
I’m not knocking the wisdom of men. Most of them have a lot of it (they just seem to save it up for some occasion known only to them.) I think the reason men leave a lot of decisions up to their wives, is not because they can’t make one - it’s because they don’t want to take the responsibility for it, (and don’t want to hear the fallout when they’re wrong.) We women are a little bit prone to making snap decisions. We have to be, because we’ve learned that any hesitation in giving instant directives to our children can lead to disastrous mistakes. For instance, most mothers have learned that when a child wants to use scissors or glue, this will usually lead to a haircut and possibly a new couch, unless you are specific (and in attendance). When you teach your child to “flush”, you must be specific about the kind of things that are flushable, because when you hear the words “uh-oh” - it’s probably too late!
Life is full of decisions. I’ve decided that when it comes to housework, if it doesn’t smell bad, multiply, catch on fire or block the front door - it can wait!
