He pulls a magic wand from his tool-belt (1-3-8)

I was thinking about which is more important to me when considering the qualities of a man: his being handy or his being handsome. My first instinct was to say “Handy wins. No contest.” But then it occurred to me… I really find men handsome when they’re being handy.

One’s personality, thoughts, humor, stance, expression, and actions, really contribute immensely to how physically attractive I find them. A really “gorgeous” man who wastes his life doping, playing video games until 3am and routinely browsing porn-on-the net, suddenly becomes a very ugly individual. An average man who wouldn’t draw a second glance, transforms into a hunk when he’s splitting firewood or working under the hood of a car.

There’s something very appealing about a man who comes in the house with greasy hands and talks about mundane things while he’s scrubbing off the grease. Even if he was working on some muscle car that I know absolutely nothing about, and talking about horsepower and engines and this and that. I tend to watch and listen with a bit of a smile in the corner of my mouth.

When a man is fixing the broken hot water heater or furnace or plumbing or putting up a shelf or whatever. It’s tantalizing. Not tantalizing to the point I’d pull up a chair and watch. More like tantalizing to the point it makes me want to do something to make him happy. Bring him a cold one, cook his favoraite meal, tune in the game.

He becomes the hero. He becomes savvy to the obstacle and becomes the problem solver. He pulls a magic wand from his tool-belt and becomes the magician of the leaky pipe. My girlfriends and I have discussed this when the guys are away. We have even gone so far as to climb down the depths of the basement stairs and stand in awe, staring at the power tools that not only lack names and reason, but also any semblance of beauty. “What is this for?” I really have no clue what 99% of them are for, but I know a man using one suddenly becomes a hottie.

I have no idea what a “bevel sliding 5400 speed compound miter saw” even is. Nor do I particularly understand why it costs the same amount as my first car. But here’s what I do know. Once a handy man gets ahold of it, it becomes the infamous “magic wand” transforming a pile of wood into a deck, and transforming him into a mountain of desire.

But it’s not just a physical attraction. The hero is never just physically attractive. He is the hero because of what he can DO, not how he LOOKS. He is the hero because he possesses skills and knowledge that are impressive. He is the hero because he can take raw materials and turn them into something he can use. He is the hero because when he’s involved in a project he is using his body and his mind simultaneously. He is the hero because he has determination and drive, and is willing to persevere to make something happen. He is the hero because when it’s finished he stands back for a moment with a glow of pride and admires what he’s accomplished. He’s the hero because after he washes the grease off his hands he says something ever so tiny like “It’s fixed baby. Let me know if you have any trouble with it.” and trades in all of that hard work for a small kiss and a thank you.

It’s an honor to wash a handy man’s sweaty work clothes. It’s the least we can do for our heroes.