TOUGH GUYS ANSWER THE CALL

In the tough guys universe, Batman is the toughest.

He’s a super hero without any freaky super powers, except his own ingenuity.

He’s not from another planet like Superman, or affected by space radiation like the Fantastic Four, or bitten by a radioactive insect like Spiderman.

Instead, he’s driven by demons, not science, but he works with science to make him the top of the tough guys.

Like Spiderman, emotional trauma drives Batman, there’s loss and learning how to deal with it. You know the backstory.

When we need a superhero to the rescue in real life, who do we call? My favorite is Dave, a construction manager, general contractor, and all round reliable resource. And someone I call a friend.

If he can’t do something, he knows people who do, or he can explain in detail well enough for an idiot to understand, which he’s done when I’ve called.

Superheroes in real life are tough guys who know where the line is. Since they’ve surpassed most other lines, their line is one they’ve drawn themselves.

And isn’t this the biggest point to make? Who loves meeting people so accomplished in so many fields that they leave your head spinning? They are tough guys who make it all look easy.

Tough Guys Training

If you see something that’s not right and immediately start complaining, try this instead: See the bigger picture.

A recent video ran in reverse, ending with a fully clothed dead woman underwater in a bathtub with a cinder block on her chest to keep her submerged.

Slick writing and crafty video editing made me believe she was the victim of a bad thing, and I automatically blamed lazy, predictable story telling. Probably a blogger, right?

But I was wrong to jump to that particular conclusion and start blaming and ignore the rest of the video.

Turns out the dead woman was a home invader, attacked and subdued the lady of the house by tying her up and stashing her in a closet while she waited with a knife.

A man comes in, fights the woman, who is a good fighter, and who also has a knife along with a surprise attack. The knife lady ended up in the tub under water, which as a relief. Who needs to see another nice lady killed.

New Tough Guy In Town

Ben Affleck is a tough guy, maybe too tough. He’s been in the business long enough to see the huge swings of fame and fortune without cracking all the way up. He cracked, but there was someone else to pick up the loose pieces.

His ex-wife, and mother of his kids, helped him out instead of watching him flounder and counting her blessings for getting out when she did.

And he noticed what she does.

 “When you have children with somebody you’re connected to them forever,” Affleck said. “And I’m very lucky she is the mother of my children.”

“I’m very grateful and respectful of her,” he continued. “Our marriage didn’t work, and that’s difficult. Both of us really believe that it’s important for kids to see their parents respect one another and get along, whether they’re together or not.”

“It’s important for my kids to know that I respect and care about Jen and she treats me the same way,” he said. “I have a lot of respect and gratitude toward her. And I wish her the very best.”

How many divorced guys say that? How many divorced women try to help their ex?

Tough guys listen and make the best decision they can based on what they hear and who’s talking.

That’s how to tell the difference between tough people, and those still learning what it takes.

Everybody wants to be a tough guy until it’s time to do what tough guys do.