Sunday, December 14, 2008

LYNNE, YOU CAN'T SAVE THE WORLD

Last week my cousin's hubby said that to me over and over. He had his arm around me, in a good cousinly sort of way, and he looked right into my eyes and said, "Lynne, you can't save the world." He said that about six or eight more times.

I wanted to ask him how you handle the sadness you know about. The friends who are toughing bad situations out, the friends that aren't going to get well, the injustice, the hurts but I didn't know how to word it. He and my cousin are toughing out their own hurts. Several situations that can't be changed, and yet they are happy.

I asked Phil about it today, telling him about one of our friends who is living through some hard situations.

"Can she do anything about it?" he asked.

"No, but..."

"If she can't do anything about it, can't change the situation, then she should stop fretting about it."

Is this how men handle things? Do they logically decide that if they can't do anything about it they let it go?

If so, maybe that's what Professor Henry Higgins said when he continually asked, "Why can't a woman be more like a man?"

And why can't we?

8 comments:

Pam's Place said...

The way I look at it: SOMEBODY has to do the worrying, and since they (the men in our lives) won't, we have to. Right?

Bonnie said...

I would like to asK a man:
How does one let go of someone she loves?

I have seen what men have done in my ward. When their wife dies and they are just miserable. One guy couldn't even make it through a prayer without crying. One was a former Bishop and was always such a doting husband. Both of these men were remarried within 6 months.The former Bishop married someone young enough to be his daughter! I was aghast at both of them.

For a woman, it is not just that easy--both emotionally and socially.

Jen Evans said...

Oh men.

I told my mom the other day that if men had babies instead of women they would have 3 at a time because it is more logical to do more at once. But they would be twice as sick as pregnant women for the whole 9 months.

Oh men.

Anonymous said...

I don't want to be more like a man. If I did I'd have to pee standing up. That would just be messy.

I like us and all our mood swings and cramps. Besides, we're prettier.

Hillary said...

Not all women freat about EVERY last person on the planet. Just you, and sometimes me, but that is because I am just like you. yfc

Anonymous said...

In the sermon on the mount, Jesus said, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" And later on, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself." That's good advice. Now all we have to do is figure out how to take it!"

Anonymous said...

I guess I need to be more like a man. I fret over people I have never met.

Anonymous said...

I do worry sometimes, but when i realize there is nothing that I can do about something I do compartmentalize it and move on with others things I can do something about