Men don’t talk face to face.
They talk shoulder to shoulder,
while they’re working on something.
I just heard this insight in a BBC World Service documentary on the Men’s Shed movement in Australia.
So true.
There are exceptions, but this is a good rule of thumb to bear in mind.
(Cheers and kudos to my brotha Mike A and his boatshed, which by pure stint of his personality and willingness to consistently provide a space, creates magic just like this around the potbelly stove … when I can get there. I’m grateful Mike. Cheers.)
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Most men have learned from our culture that they don’t talk about feelings and emotions. There has been little encouragement for men to take an interest in their own health and well-being. Unlike women, most men are reluctant to talk about their emotions and that means that they usually don’t ask for help.
… Good health is based on many factors including feeling good about yourself, being productive and valuable to your community, connecting to friends and maintaining an active body and an active mind.
Becoming a member of a Men’s Shed gives a man that safe and busy environment where he can find many of these things in an atmosphere of old-fashioned mateship. And, importantly, there is no pressure. Men can just come and have a yarn and a cuppa if that is all they’re looking for.
