‘The way they market marriage – even as a kid through Disney movies – is that it’s all about Prince Charming sweeping you off your feet.

‘There’s this mentality that you need the big dress and the big day – the day every girl gets to be a princess. I didn’t agree with any of that.

‘I chose to get married because, essentially, you’re given a deck of cards in life… the one person you can choose to bring into your life as your family and to have that unconditional love with is your husband or wife.

‘I’m choosing you as my family, and we’re going to love each other through thick and thin.’

Awake My Soul – Mumford & Sons

How fickle my heart and how woozy my eyes
I struggle to find any truth in your lies
And now my heart stumbles on things I don’t know
This weakness I feel I must finally show

Lend me your hand and we’ll conquer them all
But lend me your heart and I’ll just let you fall
Lend me your eyes I can change what you see
But your soul you must keep, totally free
Har har, har har, har har, har har

In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die
Where you invest your love, you invest your life
In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die
Where you invest your love, you invest your life

Awake my soul, awake my soul
Awake my soul
You were made to meet your maker
Awake my soul, awake my soul
Awake my soul
You were made to meet your maker
You were made to meet your maker

Ingredients:

3 medium eggs
1 banana
1 handful of shredded mozzarella cheese
a little organic whole milk (i fudged this one, don’t know how much)

Directions:
Chop up banana. Add eggs, milk and cheese. Scramble together.

By my count, this gets you about 30g of protein, 30g of healthy fats and 18g natural carbs. Or something close to 462 calories. A really solid balance of macronutrients to start the day.

If you can dream–and not make dreams your master,
If you can think–and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings–nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And–which is more–you’ll be a Man, my son!

–Rudyard Kipling

For an example of how not to act on principle, listen to this. I feel bad for the guy. He wanted to be a badass and fell flat on his face.

After pleading for his girlfriend to stay, despite a million signs that she despised him, the guy goes one step further saying:

I could stand up to her if that’s what she wanted.

Classic FAIL.

–Leo Tolstoy, in “Family Happiness”

I’ve been spending a lot of time lately thinking about (and trying to embody) real, cowboy style, confident manhood. It’s an art that’s lost on our society.

In my view, being a man requires: honor, truthfulness, self-deprecating humor, strength, confidence, self-reliance, dependence on God, standing up for what’s good, bucking convention when convention is wrong, love of nature, a commitment to justice, an appreciation of duty, willingness to take responsibility, ability to make tough decisions, seeing life as an adventure, grabbing the bull by the horns, protecting the family at all costs, doing things that provide for the family, the ability to stare fear in the face and say “get the f*ck out of the way, Satan”, a sincere desire to do what is right: to forsake convention when it is clearly wrong.

I think that many of these things are deeply situated in our being as human males – and many of these propensities are so fundamental that they are preserved in our biology.

Unfortunately, these innate features of men are subdued by a society that worships convention, convenience and conformity to very boring and dull lifestyles. The brilliant dystopian film Fight Club illustrates exactly the sort of effect that modern society has on the soul’s of men. It’s not an overstatement to suggest that many man are living lives as caged animals – fenced in by the conventions of wide-scale, emasculated social structures – without much opportunity to express their true natures – the deepest desires of their heart. Want an answer as to why professional sports are so popular? Or video games? Because they serve as a way to live vicariously the lives that men wish they could live in real life – heroic, adventurous, conquering.

Thankfully, there are a few heroes out there that we can still look to for inspiration, whether in attitude or achievement. In fact, probably not just a few. Just a few that still have the spotlight shining on them. I hope to point them out on my blog from time to time. To honor them. To look up to them. To recognize their virtues.

Today, because I was reading some of his interviews, I’m recognizing Bob Dylan. There really isn’t any explanation needed here, other than to say: look at the confidence with which he responds to the questions he gets asked in the interviews he conducts. Unashamed, unflappable confidence. There is very little qualification. Very little backtracking. He’s not ashamed to point out bullshit when he sees it. He doesn’t feel compelled to defend himself against silly attitudes. And the guy doesn’t take himself too seriously. He saves his seriousness for the things that matter, like truth, justice and God.

http://www.bobdylan.com/#/cith-conversation

Question: The Chicago Tribune felt this record needed more irreverence. Doesn’t that miss the point?

Answer: Well sure it does, that’s an irresponsible statement anyway. Isn’t there enough irreverence in the world? Who would need more? Especially at Christmas time.