i heart manscapers....a personal anecdote

no no no! i'm not referring to male grooming. what i'm referring to are the amazing men who have an interest in nature, trees, gardens, plants and flowers. and especially, my horticulturalist husband and my super green-thumbed-dad.

it's not until you reach a 'mature' age (yes, maturity is relative) that you start realizing how life experiences have shaped your own passions and interests and even brought you to where you are now in your life. these reminders seem to creep up more and more as i grow older.

in the past few years, i realize how much my dad influenced my own interest in plants and gardening. growing up, our garden was beautiful and lush. my dad always spent hours trimming, planting, and tending to our bountiful hostas, gardenias, succulents, roses, forsythia trees, strawberry patch and vegetable garden.

stereotypical gender roles lead us to believe that women garden and cook, and men hang out in their man caves, drinking beer or barbecuing out back...or at least in my world growing up the 80's they still did. but in my home, my dad did everything. he cooked, drank beer, smoked cigarettes in his man cave, mastered the BBQ and gardened!! my dad is totally awesome. not a bad bone in his body...he's thoughtful, caring and supportive.

so in my books there is something to be said about men who take a true interest in plants and gardening...not only that they aren't afraid of their sexuality- but that they are genuinely good people.

when i first started dating M way back when, a friend who was anxious to meet him (no doubt to give his male judgement/approval)- finally did and told me this: "a man who has chosen a career that grows life/plants and trees- is a keeper..."

i also started to think about the saying, "girls always marry men who are very much like their fathers". and here was M, a horticulturalist of all things...and whether the green thumb is a result of being a great man, or if being a great man gives you a green thumb- is another discussion- but for my purpose of this discussion, green thumbs give me the green light!

so in that instant i decided that i would marry M and make lots of babies with him (just kidding, more like 2 years later i did). and though its only been six years with M- he inspires my love of plants everyday (with my very opinionated design aesthetics sprinkled in). i reminisce about being 10 in the garden with my dad planting snapdragons and hostas- and it's these memories and thoughts that inspire my entrepreneurial endeavor of 'pots and plants'.

the moral of my drawn out sap story is that manscapers are good, upstanding peeps. these men are a rare find so if you are single and you meet one- marry him! your love will 'bloom' and 'grow' day by day. tee hee...