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Men
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Men
I'm sitting at my campsite in Cumberland Falls Camp Ground. This is the first night I have camped. I'm actually pretty proud of myself. The tent is set up and looks reasonably like the picture. I figured out how to put the Coleman Grill together and cooked my dinner. That may not seem like such a feat but I've been known to have trouble working coke machines. I'm grateful that my husband made me set up the tent in the store. I never could have done it without that practice run.
As I prepared my campsite, I thought about all of the mechanical and technology challenges I've faced this week. While they were aggravating, I'm astounded at how much I have learned. I'm also surprised to find that mechanical things are not all that mysterious.
I began dating my husband at 16 and we married at 19. I have a father and a husband who can fix anything. What they can't fix, my brother can. Between the 3 of them, they can build and fix anything that has to do with houses, boats, computers, airplanes, and cars. Did I mention that my grandfather used to build houses for a living and that I got car advice this week from several of my uncles? While it is possible that I have these men pedestals, I also realize that I'm spoiled. I've never tried to fix things myself.
Lest I sound like a helpless female, let me assure that I am not. I was a teenager in the late 60's and early 70's. I was in my 20's before I ever admitted that men and women really were different. I was traveling for a living when only 1% of business travelers were women. I'm the former CEO of a technology company. I've spoken to groups about women in business and often mentor women into reaching beyond their normal roles. But, even with computers, I've had people to do the hard work for me.
My challenges this week have had a wide variety. Let's start with the new refrigerator that is supposed to run off my car battery during the day and off a second battery during the night. At night my husband had arranged for a series of devices that totally confused me but were supposed to be able to run my refrigerator. I kept asking what was wrong with a cooler and ice but it seemed new technology was the answer to keeping my journey simple. After the devices ran my car battery down, the men in my life (my husband, brother, and father) rushed to my rescue and rigged another series of devices. I got a little nervous when they told me the black tape was to keep sparks from flying. The good news is that it didn't run my car battery down. The bad news is that it doesn't run the refrigerator at night. I'm OK with this, but my poor husband, who is many miles away, is feeling like a failure. I won't go into my philosophies about the male ego but I do know my smart husband is suffering over this refrigerator failure.
Don't tell my husband, but tonight I bought 2 bags of ice and they are sitting in my refrigerator. Tomorrow, I'll pour the water out and if it hasn't ruined the refrigerator, I'll plug it back into the car. I ran into a woman yesterday that said I should just tell my husband it is working fine. I suppose she shares my philosophies about the male ego and works hard to protect it. I briefly considered her suggestion. It would make him happy and I wouldn't have to spend every phone call discussing the refrigerator. But then I remembered that we have a commitment to always tell each other the truth. Oh well. He'll have to suffer.
I now know the difference between an inverter and a charger and how the power works between the battery and those 2 devices. Now that I understand it, I agree with my husband. The solution the men in my life set up, should work. A male friend of mine made a good suggestion and the next time my husband joins my journey, he plans to try it. I'm envisioning my romantic weekend being about refrigerators but maybe this new idea will run my refrigerator at night.
Now let's talk about technology. I have 2 e-mail addresses and a website. I need to be able to get to all of them via some kind of Internet provider. It would be nice if it was the same Internet provider. Unfortunately, for whatever, reason my attbi.com e-mail won't talk to my Prodigy account. Prodigy will talk to my pocketfullofquarters.com address. There is no logic to that. During the course of the last week, I've learned how to log into 2 different services to collect my e-mail. I've learned much more about how to manipulate things on the web and I've learned how to put pictures on the web. I know more than I ever wanted to know about how Outlook works with the Internet.
At one point a couple of nights ago, I was convinced that Satan was living inside my computer. I remembered a story told by an elderly lady in prayer meeting. She had been newly introduced to computers in her job. Nothing was working. She decided her computer was possessed and prayed over her computer. She swears that the computer worked fine after that. We all laughed at her story.
When all else failed, I tried laying hands on and praying over my computer. OK, maybe I was being a little dramatic. My computer did not improve. Things got amazingly better when I found the unmarked check box deep inside Outlook. I'm remembering a line from Star Treck about boldly going where no man has gone before.
Throughout my challenges, my sweet husband has been constant tec support back home. He travels for a living and he has helped me from all over the United States. I wish that refrigerator would start working right so he would feel like the hero he is.
While my camp stove worked great, my new electrical grill has a problem. I bought it to cook eggs and bacon in my hotel room. We tested it on eggs and it works great. We forgot to test it on bacon. It took 30 minutes to cook bacon yesterday. I hear bacon isn't good for you anyway.
I was even proud of myself when I figured out how to work my new folding recliner camp chair. That is pretty pathetic now that I think about it.
Just to add a little more humor to my week, my computer just went dead. It turns out the electrical outlet at the campsite wasn't switched on and my battery died. I thought computers were supposed to give you more than a 1 second warning. I went to the electrical box, opened it, and found the switch that looked tripped. I closed my eyes and flipped the switch. I was fully expecting to be struck dead at any moment. It worked.
As I sit out here tonight fighting bugs, I thank God for my blessings. I have been blessed with incredible men in my life. There was no finer man than my grandfather. My father is awesome and loves me deeply. He would do anything I ask. My uncle has no children and that gives me a second father. My brother and I have many interests in common and he one of my best friends. We talk on the phone almost every night. I have a couple of close male friends that understand and appreciate me.
My husband is unbelievable. He is smart, sexy, sweet, spiritual, and not threatened by a very independent wife. Absence really does make the heart grow fonder. As independent as I am, I also believe in living in submission to my husband. He loves me as instructed in Bible and the submission I experience is sweet. Through that submission, I can soar as a woman and a wife.
As much as my female ego doesn't want to admit it, this trip would have been much more difficult without the men in my life.
In this world of male bashing, I wanted to take a moment to pay tribute to the men in my life. They certainly helped me prepare physically for this trip. I have lanterns, batteries, 2 stoves, a tent, a refrigerator, a flashlight, extension chords, tools, and jumper cables and I know how to use most of them.
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