Last Sunday morning I woke up to the sweet wish of Aaliyah who expressed, “I am grateful to have such an amazing man as my partner. I love you, Bob! International Men’s Day is here! One day is not enough to celebrate the presence of a man like you in my life, but I’ll make sure to make you feel more special this week!”
She had planned it out well and had kept plans for each day. That day she had arranged for the evening with my friends. “Have fun with your guy gang today! I have invited Steve and Adrian in the evening!” she said. “Oh Aaliyah, you’re the best!” I replied. I met them after around eight months.
We started the evening with our favorite drink. “Cheers!” We all raised a toast and watched a new movie. Later in the evening when we were enjoying the dinner, Italian cuisine, when Steve shot a question.
“Bob, have you ever feared others’ judgment before expressing your vulnerable self? Like the notion, men are strong and are expected to be like that gets very difficult to put up with at times. Do you let your feelings pour out? Or do you just keep it with yourself?” Asked Steve.
“Of course I let it out! Why should I worry about the stereotype when I am low? Men are humans too! We too have feelings and our bad days! It’s okay to feel weak and vulnerable. There’s nothing wrong with it!” I replied.
“Besides it’s important to open up. Embracing our true feelings and addressing them is good for our mental health. We should never ignore them!” Expressed Adrian.
“That’s right! Feelings and mental health are not gender-specific! We should talk about how we feel without any hesitation,” I expressed.
“It feels good to hear all of this. I always had my inhibitions about this particular issue. I’m glad that I spoke to you both about this and got clarity!” Expressed Steve. Three of us once again raised a toast and then got hooked on to the PlayStation.
This International Men’s Day let’s make sure that men are given equal space and opportunity to express their emotions. Let us not stereotype or impose any such conditions on them anymore. It’s time to perceive things differently and bring in some positive change for all!
