National Man Day comes and goes with little recognition

Most people probably celebrated Father’s Day Sunday, June 21, but I’ll bet few people celebrated another holiday Monday, June 15 – National Man Day.
Technically, it’s not a real holiday, as two brothers in Indiana made it up and promoted it on Facebook prior to the date they selected, garnering more than 260,000 supporters.
Their mission for the holiday: men have to do manly things on the holiday.
Or in their words: “On June 15, men across the nation will unite in one cause and one voice saying, ‘I am man!’ On that day, men across the nation will blow things up, they’ll shoot big guns, they’ll punch each other for no reason, they’ll pump some iron, or they’ll watch every ‘Rambo’ movie from beginning to end. Straight through. And when asked why we do these things, we’ll say ‘Because I’m a MAN!’”
They go on that it’s time for men to stop being “sissies” and time for “men to be men.”
Recalling June 15, I worked all day and then took my 4-year-old to his first T-ball practice. I don’t remember what I did at home after practice, but chances are my wife, son and I took a walk on one of the area’s many beautiful trails.
T-ball and taking a walk probably wouldn’t qualify as “manly.” Then again, most everything I do probably couldn’t be considered “manly,” although I am a fan of “manly” things.
I love “Rambo” movies, as well as “Rocky” movies. I also like the occasional “chick flick,” and have watched the entire “Sex and the City” series.
I’m a fan of guns and shooting things, but I don’t own one and the last time I shot one was on the day I got my hunter’s safety license when I was 12 years old. Shooting aliens on my Nintendo Wii probably doesn’t count.
I’ve always enjoyed boxing and other sports that involve people hitting others, but I’ve never punched anybody in my life. Even when I was a kid and another kid punched me in the nose for no reason. I just went crying to my mother.
Pumping iron? I’d rather pump gas into my vehicle, despite the ridiculous price it costs to do so.
I consider my grilling skills to be exceptional, but I also like cooking on a stove.
I’ve never been a member of a football or basketball team, despite a height that towers over most people and a bulk that could probably crush most players.
I have belonged to quite a few volleyball teams. Wait a minute; pretend I didn’t mention that.
Heck, thinking about it, I’m only capable of fixing basic things at home, although I’m great at keeping things clean and organized. Again, pretend I didn’t mention that.
I’d feel bad about not being “manly” enough, but in comparison to most of my male friends, I’m about the same as them. Some are more “manly” in some aspects, but less so in others. In the end, our manliness is about equal.
Compared to my father, father-in-law, grandpas and the generation of men before us, though, we’re wimps. I’ll admit it.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as it’s most likely a generational thing and a product of the times. Our parents raised us in a way they weren’t raised, and as a result we’re probably a little more sensitive and probably a lot less manly.
I’d like to think we’re more well-rounded, and more capable of better communicating with our less “manly” counterparts – women.
In the same regard, I believe those counterparts have been raised to be a little more “manly.” My sisters-in-law hunt, as well as my mother-in-law, and many women I know like the “manly” things only guys are supposed to like. In other words, women have become more fun.
Had I known about National Man Day, I would have found some way to celebrate it, just for the sake of celebrating it. I probably would have grilled out after T-ball practice, borrowed a gun from someone and gone out to the shooting range to bust a few caps in some targets, and then would have rented a few Arnold Schwarzenegger movies I would have watched while drinking a six-pack of Schlitz.
But, June 15 was also “Sneak a Kiss Day.” I probably would have preferred to celebrate that holiday. Does that make me more or less “manly”?