I read a good email lately. It was funny. It was titled, “Men are just happier people.”

Now, I don’t know if that is true or not, Maybe so. Generally, though, guys are pretty even keeled. Their moods are not way up there or wayyy down. The only thing that can upset Fred that I know of, is....are you ready for this? Me! Most women I know are like me. Emotional. We run on hormones if there’s any left. We cry when we are sorrowful, when we watch a corny love-story movie, when we are happy. We can have a ruined day if our hair is a mess, or our clothes suddenly don’t fit. On top of that, we don’t have a thing to wear!

Women require flattery. They need words. They need to hear “You are so beautiful. I’m so glad I met you. My, how slim you look today. How I love you!” The male doesn’t need that kind of vociferous ying-yang to stay stable. He doesn’t need the same coddling or lovey-dovey words to be happy. 

But, if I were to believe that men are happier, then here’s some reasons why I think they could be.

They know they will have to work most of their lives, so that’s a given. No need to be unhappy about it. They are content with that fact. Happy? They certainly don’t complain about going to work. It’s an important part of their lives. 

Their underwear is cheap. It’s $8.95 for a three-pack and if it were expensive like our underwear, they’d never buy it. They stay content. No big deal. “I’ll just wear the dang, ripped things for ten years more,” they say.

They hardly ever sweat the hairdo. A grown man combs it, sprays it in place maybe, stands in front of the mirror, looks once or twice, and that’s it.

They are even-tempered most of the time. 

God doesn’t require them to birth babies, never having to pant and push.

They get better looking as they age. Wrinkles add character. They aren’t on a quest for that “ideal” face cream either. 

But here’s my decision. We gals are emotional. But we are the ones who have the fun. We get to wear make-up and transform ourselves from looking like we just climbed out of bed. There’s always hope in a jar, or a make-up palette, a magic curling iron, a new hair color.

We don’t have to layer foam on our faces every morning and shave every corner of our face and chin. Ugh. And...

Guys stand when they urinate. It’s tiring. 

They have to put up the Christmas lights. 

They have to grill. 

They have to hunt; they have to act like they enjoy football.

They have to clean the gutters. (Oh, you don’t, fella? Well you should)

They get bald. It’s “Oh well, it is what it is.”

You get the idea? Oh, and they don’t live as long as women on the average. On second thought, that might be a reason for happiness. They certainly don’t live long in captivity. (Convalescent home)

What am I forgetting? Plenty. You get the idea. It’s a draw.   

Judi Tabler lives in Pawnee County and is a guest columnist for the Great Bend Tribune. She can be reached at juditabler@gmail.com or juditabler@awomansview.