Prince Charming Doesn’t Wear Shiny Armor
How many times have we seen it played out the exact same way? Man and woman meet, have an instant connection, woman feels she has met and has fallen in love with the perfect man. A man that is trustworthy and acts like she is his whole world. A man that doesn’t quibble at the thought of romance or expressing his inner feelings and desires of how he feels for her. A man that will be her rock, her soldier and, above all, her best friend. This is the script we witness time and time again through TV, books and movies.
Then, you go into the dating world, especially that of the online variety. It is littered with women who have struck out on love. They hitched their wagon to a man, or in many cases many men, who ended up breaking their hearts. And this is where it comes full circle. If you were to read 90% of all dating profiles from women, what do they say? Yes, they all want a good man, who will be their best friend, who is into romantic evenings at home or on the town, someone who doesn’t play games, who believes in honesty and commitment, blah, blah, blah. They talk of a rare bread, a species of man who they have as much a chance to find as Bin Laden. But, which these women would be shocked to know, is that the search for these men does not take a group of highly skilled military soldiers to discover.
Most women I know have their share of high-heel shoes. They have shoes like an eight-year old has a bag of Skittles. They possess shoes of different sizes, shapes, colors, heights, straps, no straps, sparkly, bold, sexy, business and even those they got just to wear with one particular shirt or pair of earrings. And, what’s the one common things I hear from these women with all these shoes? They are uncomfortable. I ask them, “So, why do you wear them if they make your feet hurt.” They all respond with the same dumbfounded look, “Because they are cute/sexy and match my outfit. Duh!” Maybe its just my simpleton male mind at work, but wouldn’t it be much better to find one pair that goes with every outfit, are comfortable to wear, are very trustworthy and won’t break down, and still look good? Am I talking from left field or is common sense? Somehow I think women know exactly what I’m talking about and have all made a trek to their local retailer to find such a pair at least once in their life. So, what happens?
Look, I can’t blame women for being this way. They were inherently built to sacrifice comfort and sanity to go after what fills a desire. Eve could have lived quite the happy, easy life grazing on all of God’s nature that was before Adam and herself. Heck, I hear Adam was quite the salad-maker. Ah, but that apple. That luscious, red, ripe, mouth-watering apple. It was pretty. It was shiny and it was a perfect match for her lipstick. And then there is that snake telling her exactly what she wanted to hear. What, taking a bite from the apple would cause extreme pain and misery to the Earth? This one apple could make her life very uncomfortable because she couldn’t just wake up and slap on a couple of leaves in the morning anymore? Ah, small sacrifices for Eve for those things can be changed or can get used to.
So, the woman goes to the shoe store with a purpose. She’s determined to find that one pair that will make her forget all the trouble and pain others have always caused her. Ah, but then there are those pretty red shoes. They are strapless with an eight-inch heel. They are pretty. They are shiny and they are a perfect match for her lipstick. And then there is that sales woman telling her exactly what she wanted to hear. What, these special shoes will cause blisters and make her walk funny for a week afterwards? Ah, small sacrifices for they can be changed or can get used to. So, the good pair of shoes then continue to sit on the shelf. They wait for a woman, any woman, to see them for what they are. They wait for someone to see that, while not the shiniest or most popular brand of shoes on the market, they are the exact shoes women always desire deep down to have. Unfortunately though, most end up not owned, donated to a charity and given to women in poverty in a third-world country. Good news for all the ladies, you do not need to go to some obscure part of the world to find the man you truly covet. You just have to get out of your own way!
These “good guys” have flaws like anyone else, but they don’t sugarcoat them. They don’t hide the flaws behind an expensive car, a cool pair of sunglasses or a convenient half unbuttoned shirt. They own up to them, making them the person they have become with character and conviction. These men don’t look at women as a sea of fish but instead as a garden with a diversified array of beautiful flowers. They are not the center of attention, because they don’t need to be. They don’t give roses and open doors because they feel they have to, but instead because they feel you deserve to be spoiled for spoiling their heart. They don’t characterize themselves on six-pack abs, stylish hair, a perfect smile or how big their bank account holds, but instead use what they have to make their loved ones smile as often as possible. They define themselves not by the amount of women slept with, but instead by the amount of passion they have shared with those who have moved their soul.
So, where are these guys? Believe it or not, we are everywhere. You have seen us in the store, the movie theatre, the bar and at the ball game. You have talked to us, even carrying on meaningful conversations with intelligence, wit and humor. You have even went on dates with us. But, you choose the guy that caught your eye and told you exactly what you wanted to hear. What, he doesn’t fully care about your feelings, flirts with other women and ignores you when you need a shoulder to cry on?
Ah, small sacrifices for those things can be changed or can get used to. Right?
