In recent years, society has reexamined and redefined what it means to be male. Some of the old stereotypes have died away. Men are allowed to express their feelings, and many of them are pursuing career paths that are traditionally female-dominated.
That’s as it should be since society should not dictate what’s “male behavior” or “female behavior.” Still, there are some traditionally male activities in which it might behoove the men reading this to take an interest. That’s not so much because these are areas about which all men should know, but rather because they’re fun for anyone of any gender.
Let’s go over a few traditionally male activities that the men reading this might want to learn how to do. If you try these and enjoy them, you might incorporate them into your life and engage in them frequently from now on.
Learn How to Ride a Motorcycle
Motorcycle riding can be a ton of fun. There’s something intoxicating about hopping on a huge Harley Davidson and hearing the engine roar to life. You can take off down the highway now that spring is here and the weather is nice, feeling the wind rush past you as you explore the countryside.
You can buy a motorcycle, or you can rent one if you’re not ready to commit to it yet. Once you get your hands on one, though, you need to get someone to give you lessons on how to ride it.
If you try to ride your new motorcycle and you have not mastered this particular skill set, then you might wreck it and face a lawsuit if you hit another vehicle. You definitely won’t want to be on the receiving end of a personal injury case when you are the one liable for whatever damage and injuries occurred.
Learn How to Fish
Ernest Hemingway, one of the manliest men imaginable, loved fishing, and he loved writing about it. He wrote the classic novel “The Old Man and the Sea,” about fishing, as well as “Big Two-Hearted River” and other classic short stories.
For all the men reading this, if you don’t know how to fish yet, you can get someone to teach you how to do that as well. Fly fishing is not very challenging to learn, at least the basics. You might also decide to learn some deep-sea fishing techniques if you want to tackle marlin or other more challenging prey.
Fishing is fun because it’s an activity you can do with your friends or family members. You might get together with old high school or college buddies for a fishing trip, or maybe you’d prefer to bring some work friends.
You can charter a boat and have a few beers while you spend time in the sun. If you like seafood, you might decide to take what you catch and fry it up for dinner. Just don’t forget the sunblock.
Learn How to Attend a Baseball Game in Style
Maybe you don’t know much about baseball. This is certainly a manly activity, though, and Opening Day is just around the corner. Many professional baseball venues are allowing fans back this year if you have had your Covid-19 vaccine.
You can get a knowledgeable friend to teach you about the game. Maybe you know some of the basics, but you can ask them to tell you about the Infield Fly Rule or the difference between a safety and a suicide squeeze.
If you attend a game, you might decide to shell out some extra money to rent a suite for the day. That way, you can enjoy the game in luxury and have access to some delectable buffet items while you check out the ballpark’s sights and sounds.
Learn How to Hunt
You might have never gone hunting before. That’s another manly activity, though, and you may find that you enjoy it tremendously if some of your knowledgeable friends take you out in the woods for the day.
You’ll have to learn how to shoot a rifle if you don’t know how yet. Your friends can teach you, or you can get some professional lessons.
You can go out after deer, squirrels, pheasant, or whatever else lives near you. If deer is on the menu, hunting can help control the local population. That’s often necessary because in some parts of the country, deer have no natural predators, and if you don’t bag a few every year, they’ll run amuck in everyone’s gardens.
You can also eat many of the animals you shoot. Venison stew or jerky is delicious, and quail or pheasant also make a tasty dinner.
Learn How to do Some DIY Home Improvement Projects
Maybe you never learned how to do some basic DIY repair projects. It’s manly to know how to do things like repair a leaking faucet, built a birdhouse, and replace some cracked vinyl siding or missing roof shingles.
You might ask one of your family’s blue-collar members to teach you some of these vital skills. Perhaps if you have a more white-collar family, you can get an in-law to teach you.
It’s not just manly to learn these skills. It’s also practical. Everyone should know how to do things like basic carpentry, plumbing, and electrical work, regardless of gender. You can put these skills to use and save yourself some money when something breaks, and you don’t need to call a professional.
You can also ask the blue-collar individual in your family to teach you some basic car maintenance. Everyone should know how to do things like change a tire or change your oil or other fluids.
You don’t need to learn how to do all of these things to be manly, but once you try them, you may find that you have an aptitude for them. You’ll likely find that these activities are some of the best uses of your time, and you’ll wonder why you never engaged in them before.
Images from MODEL CITIZEN: TOM KEMP by José Tió – See the full story here
