1246 What's in YOUR Wallet?

1246 What’s in YOUR Wallet

One of the least noted sore points in the ongoing war between the sexes centers on the wallet.

Women are forever asking men to get new ones.  Men are forever holding on to theirs with the ferocity of a dog guarding a bone or a toddler who drags his favorite blanket everywhere.

This is a conflict that transcends all the usual barriers.  Race, religion, country of origin, age, sexual orientation, income level, political preference, education level, literacy and on and on.

People can disagree on many issues.  But none is more consistent than this one.

Okay, men, show of hands now.  How many of you have had your wallet  called “that rag” by your significant other… or even an insignificant other?

Thought so.

Now, women, let’s see some hands … how many of you have used that term?

Uh huh.

The average American woman has enough handbags and wallets for a regiment and shoes to match each.  Even women who don’t care manage to accumulate plenty over the course of a lifetime and rarely discard any of them.  You never know…

Okay, fine.

Guys tend to keep their wallets.  They become mobile offices.  Credit cards, notes, receipts, etc.  They get dog eared.  But most of us don’t care about matching a wallet with an outfit.

We don’t have different wallets for special occasions, casual Fridays, travel, business, and visits to the gym or the swimming pool or the pool hall.

Any wallet, even a really good one, will eventually fray. It’s material will take on a battered and/or saggy look.  So what?  We know what’s in it and where it is.  It’s not a decoration for us, it’s a body part.

A close friend long used one that was repaired with so much duct tape you couldn’t tell what color it was.  After considerable nagging he reluctantly switched to a new one.  But you can bet good money that he stashed the old one away in a drawer or a box and still has it, just in case.

While you may think of that as extreme, it really isn’t.  Many of us would go that route willingly.

So, ladies, do as you please about your wallets and handbags and shoes.  But understand that guys aren’t wired that way.

Shrapnel (Sweet Lullaby edition):

--At long last, something positive to say about Britney Spears, the noise making font of gossip and what passes these days for music.  The British Navy is playing her recordings through high powered sea-going public address systems in an effort to scare off Somali pirates.  And it’s working.

--This is not a new tactic. When Panama’s dictator Noriega took refuge in the Vatican embassy, US Marines surrounded the building and started playing Van Halen’s hit “Panama” at top volume, interspersing bits from the Howard Stern radio show.  It worked, too.

--The UN says the tactic is torture.  This country and others use it anyway.  And the Pentagon has declined the opportunity to replace the noise with recordings of General Assembly and Security Council debates.  That really WOULD be torture.

I’m Wes Richards.  My opinions are my own but you’re welcome to them. ®

You’d think by now MS Word or Google Docs would have a macro function so I wouldn’t have to type this three times a week.

Please address comments to wesrichards@gmail.com

© WJR 2013