When I was a young single man trying to impress all the ladies with my clever wit and charm I had a friend tell me some advice that I have never forgotten. If the girls don’t find you handsome, they had better find you handy. That advice is both humbling and useful at the same time. As a happily married man for the better part of nine years I can honestly say that my looks haven’t served me near as well as my skills as a handyman have. I have fixed the leak under the sink from time to time, kept the family car in good running order and built numerous pieces of furniture for our home.

            Lets be honest, while many of us out there think that we age like fine wine, the reality is that most of us age like cottage cheese. Looks fade, but skills grow and increase with each project. There is something to be said for learning how to repair things on your own. I’m not saying that everyone needs to be a master mechanic, but there are certain things that a husband and provider of the home should be able to do. The more you strive to do things on your own, the better you will get at doing them. Nobody is ever perfect the first time that they try to do something, but with time and effort projects take less time and are done to a higher standard.

            All of you young single men out there looking to find a girl to spend your life with, take my advice. Learn how to become a hand. Fix things that are broken, change the oil in your car, ride the rank ponies once in a while and challenge yourself to become better in everything that you do. You will be glad that you did. The girl you marry will be glad that you did too.

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            A popular song out on the radio today tells ladies that they can buy their own flowers. Well that may be true, but flowers gifted are a lot nicer than those purchased. Ladies, we men like to spoil you. We like to see you light up when we do something nice for you. As men we have a desire to provide, protect and take care of the ones that we love. When we do that to the best of our ability, your respect is all we desire. We don’t need a throne to sit on and a crown to wear, because honestly none of us view ourselves as a king.

            As a father, I want to raise my children to be good members of society. I won’t raise my daughter in the same way I raise my son. I want to raise my son to be a man of his word. A man that is honest and dependable no matter what the task at hand may be. I want him to be a protector of those that he loves, to provide for his family and to help those in need. I want to raise my daughter to be strong and able to take care of herself, to love unconditionally, and to have the class of her mother and my stubbornness. Above all I want my children to follow God and raise their children to do the same.

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            I don’t want you ladies to take this to mean I think you need a man because you can’t do things on your own. In fact its quite the opposite. I know you girls are tougher than most of us men and can do some things a lot better than we can. That’s all for this time. Hone your skills with new challenges and do your best to be handy. Keep tabs on your side of the barbed wire and God bless.

Meinzer is a fourth-generation rancher raised on the southeastern plains of Colorado. He and his family live and ranch in Oshkosh, Neb.