![\"Man](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Man-Card-300x192.jpg?resize=300%2C192\")
<\/a><\/center>\nToday is my 46th Birthday, as I sit and have my morning Mt Dew and think about the events that brought me to this point in my life it occurred to me that I enjoy being a man. There is a certain amount of skill involves and over time a set of values and morality are developed.<\/p>\n
There are very few times in a man\u2019s life that the playing field is equal. For me the navy was one of them. On my first day of boot camp, after the haircut and first clothing issue we were all in a room with a pile of clothes learning how to stencil our names on them in the Navy way. We took of our civvies and were standing there ib nothing but a new pair of tighty whiteys when our Company Commander called us to attention and introduced the Chaplin. I do not remember all of his words but one part of his talk has stayed with me. He said \u201c Take a look around you, everyone in this room is equal to everyone else. It does not matter how much money your parents have, It does not matter how you did it school, no one on this room has any advantage. What you make of your life and your Navy career is up to you\u201d.<\/p>\n
To be a real man there are some absolute truths that must be embraced. I think the first is the fact that you are expendable. You have to be willing to put yourself in harm\u2019s way to protect those around you. You must be willing to work at any job to provide for those who depend on you. There is nothing degrading about doing a hard day\u2019s work. There are few things more satisfying than going to bed dog ass tired but knowing you did your best.<\/p>\n
Being a man also means that you have to learn to be humble. When you are wrong admit it. Ask for advice. You also have to be outspoken, correct an injustice. Stand up for what you believe in.
\nThere are some other skills that must be learned,<\/p>\n
Learn how to shave like your grandfather did. Get a shaving brush and safety razor and learn to use them. A disposable Razor is 3 bucks, canned shaving cream sucks. A safety razor blade cost 25 cents and you will get a better closer shave, plus its fun.<\/p>\n
Learn how to tie a tie in at least 3 different ways. Ditch the clip on, 4 in hand, Windsor and Double Windsor are the absolute minimum. Untie them when not in use. Bonus point for a bow tie.<\/p>\n
Learn how to wear clothes like a man. Men\u2019s clothes are more expensive than women’s clothes. We wear them longer. Tuck in your shirt, wear a belt. Carry a handkerchief. It doesn\u2019t matter if its Jeans and a T-shirt or a tuxedo. Get clothes that fit right and have them altered to you. It’s not expensive and its way more comfortable.<\/p>\n
Learn how to use tools. Not all of us a handy men but there is no excuse for not knowing how to change a tire or jump-start a car. Most home repairs are very simple with the right tools. Fixing a dripping faucet or replacing a light switch should not involve more than a trip to a hardware store.<\/p>\n
Use manners, hold open doors, say yes ma’am and no sir. It\u2019s all about respect. If you give it, you will get it.<\/p>\n
Carry a pocket knife and wear a watch. I almost included it with tools but a watch and a knife will keep you out of trouble and get you out of a bind. There is a lot to be said for a good pocket knife.<\/p>\n
Learn how to write a letter. We live in an age on instant gratification. Writing a real letter and mailing it show the person receiving it that this is important. Write thank you notes, condolence letters or a well worded letter to someone you are at odds with goes a long way.<\/p>\n
Learn how to cook, that one is important. Guys cooking is important. You get to eat what you want and its fun. I love being able to go into a kitchen and fix something from the odds and ends. Plus cooking for your wife, kids girlfriend ect shows them that you are versatile.<\/p>\n
Boys are born, men are made. It has nothing to do with how tall or strong a man is. It has everything to so with character. The art of being a man is slipping away more and more with each generation. Terms like baby daddy are replacing words like Father and Dad. Punk kids think that being a man mean being a bully or how many different women they can get pregnant. Now we have kids who will spend all day inside playing video games, they have no clue how to be social or how to have fun that does not involve electricity. Boys learn from example and emulation. Don\u2019t be afraid to show emotion. Get involved. Be a man.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Today is my 46th Birthday, as I sit and have my morning Mt Dew and think about the events that brought me to this point in my life it occurred to me that I enjoy being a man. There is a certain amount of skill involves and over time a set of values and morality […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":644,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[170],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-who-knows"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4ozh1-dxs","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/644"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=52046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52046\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=52046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=52046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=52046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}