We all know it is in the nature of men to wander and in the nature of women to settle down, nest.

Since time began men have wandered, to war, for food, to discover. It wasn’t uncommon for men to be gone for years. Women waited. They kept each other company, had relationships with their children, they nested. This worked out all right, at least as far as relationships go. Women weren’t writing in to dear Abby. Most were just glad to be provided for and many were glad to have a break.

The point is, men wander, figuratively if not literally. They always have. The only difference between then and now is that science and technology have provided a means for men to get back where they came from, quickly. They don’t need to spend three years going to the promised land and back. They can get there in a day take care of business and be back by the end of the week. Sometimes I wonder if that’s a good thing. Maybe that alone time traveling home on the back of a camel cart is something men need. Maybe sleeping alone or cuddling with the children for weeks on end without the pressure of pleasing someone else is something women need. We are so efficient today, there is no “down” time between this and that. I think people need it and I don’t think a yoga class is enough.

My grandfather used to have 15 minutes of quality solitude, just walking into the well to get water. Now every moment is filled with chatter. We’re never alone which is making us connect less. We read books to learn how to hear the universe speaking. If we put down the book and listen we might hear it, struggling to get a word in edgewise.
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