I’m Sweet, but Don’t Mess with Me: A Tribute to Strong Women
Writer’s Note: This is not a suck up to my wife. I swear. If she takes it that way and I get something out of it, so much the better. For you, dear reader, I hope you just take it as a tribute to strong women everywhere.
What I’m feeling now is that the world needs more strong women. Annika Sorrenstam. Uma Thurman. Hillary Clinton. Nancy Pelosi. Peggy Noonan. Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2. Melissa Etheridge. Angelina Jolie. Ellen DeGeneres. My wife.
My wife is a strong woman. If I had to describe her, I’d say that men want her and women want to be her. She’s smart, athletic, attractive and, more importantly, has that quiet strength that says “I may be sweet, but you really don’t want to mess with me.”
However, there’s a tender side to her that’s make her an incredible mother and great wife. We met after our freshman year in college as counselors at a YMCA camp. We always laugh that neither of us was attracted to the other at first; it took a few weeks.
We’ve been married now for more nearly eight years but have been together for nearly 17. In that time, I’ve seen her evolve from a flirty and goofy college girl to an accomplished physical therapist who’s accomplished everything in her career that she set out to do.
I see her strength in interactions with our friends and family. She’s a leader to whom people turn for her expertise in a variety of areas. She’s a great cook. She’s crafty. She’s creative. She’s a phenomenal athlete. She’s got a technical side of her that’s makes her invaluable if you’re reading a set of plans. She’s a great Mom who’s forever dispensing valuable advice about how to manage and raise kids.
More importantly, she’s done all this while being paired with a demanding SOB like me. I’m tough and I can be an asshole. My family knows it. I know it. I demand a lot of the people around me. Life is serious and you’ve got to be serious to accomplish anything.
“In my book, you either do it right or you get eliminated,” said Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko in Wall Street. It’s a credo that I live by and, strangely enough now, we often quote it to each other. Somehow, she’s survived, and even thrived, in this environment.
That she’s done that and not murdered me in my sleep is a testament to her strength and her ability to adapt to an intense and constantly changing environment.
I’m a lucky man and I know it. If we had more women like her, the world would be a better place.
What I’m feeling now is that the world needs more strong women. Annika Sorrenstam. Uma Thurman. Hillary Clinton. Nancy Pelosi. Peggy Noonan. Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2. Melissa Etheridge. Angelina Jolie. Ellen DeGeneres. My wife.
My wife is a strong woman. If I had to describe her, I’d say that men want her and women want to be her. She’s smart, athletic, attractive and, more importantly, has that quiet strength that says “I may be sweet, but you really don’t want to mess with me.”
However, there’s a tender side to her that’s make her an incredible mother and great wife. We met after our freshman year in college as counselors at a YMCA camp. We always laugh that neither of us was attracted to the other at first; it took a few weeks.
We’ve been married now for more nearly eight years but have been together for nearly 17. In that time, I’ve seen her evolve from a flirty and goofy college girl to an accomplished physical therapist who’s accomplished everything in her career that she set out to do.
I see her strength in interactions with our friends and family. She’s a leader to whom people turn for her expertise in a variety of areas. She’s a great cook. She’s crafty. She’s creative. She’s a phenomenal athlete. She’s got a technical side of her that’s makes her invaluable if you’re reading a set of plans. She’s a great Mom who’s forever dispensing valuable advice about how to manage and raise kids.
More importantly, she’s done all this while being paired with a demanding SOB like me. I’m tough and I can be an asshole. My family knows it. I know it. I demand a lot of the people around me. Life is serious and you’ve got to be serious to accomplish anything.
“In my book, you either do it right or you get eliminated,” said Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko in Wall Street. It’s a credo that I live by and, strangely enough now, we often quote it to each other. Somehow, she’s survived, and even thrived, in this environment.
That she’s done that and not murdered me in my sleep is a testament to her strength and her ability to adapt to an intense and constantly changing environment.
I’m a lucky man and I know it. If we had more women like her, the world would be a better place.
posted by W.S. Wuori at 12:38 AM
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