Gimme Your Why

I am forever asking. “Why?” or when I am really frustrated, “Why Dammit!”

Don’t we all ask that? It is the perpetual question that if we had that answer we could solve world hunger—or at least solve what the heck to make for dinner.

I think I ask myself “Why” at least a thousand times a day. Seriously. Why did that person do that? Why can’t it be this way because it is just simpler? Why do those kids always leave dirty socks in the hallway? Why doesn’t my kids realize that I am the coolest person they ever will meet? Why shouldn’t I wear high heels with shorts?

Why does my Mom’s scrambled eggs always taste better than mine. It is just eggs anyway. Why the heck do hers taste so different? Why am I asking you about my Mom’s eggs? Why?

Then there is a whole bunch of manly whys. Why does our son suddenly “need” to shave when he has no whiskers? Why do men wear rugs when bald is so sexy? Why will a guy spend $5000 on special tires for his truck that is already so high off the ground that his girlfriend can’t crawl into it without getting a nose bleed?

There is that “gross why” which we will never understand. Why does that man in front of me in line at the grocery store fart and then look at me like I did something? Why do men/boys find that funny?

The dating “why” haunts us all our lives. Why did that guy never call? Why did he say he would call when he never meant to? Why doesn’t his mother think I am the best thing he has ever had in his life? Why does the word “shrinkage” bother him as much as the word “tiny?” Why can’t he just talk about his feelings?

Why does he frown when I ask “why?” Why the heck does he feel the need to “name” certain body parts? Why do men always get nervous near Valentine’s Day? Why don’t they write mushy love letters? Why don’t they know that all we want is some additional attention, because who cares about flowers? Why not chocolate? Chocolate is always good. Why do some women demand more than that and ruin a perfectly good holiday for everyone else? Seriously-why?

The shopping “why” questions are of course numerous. Why do they never have my size? Why can’t they have this in my favorite color? Why does this have to be made of cotton because it will shrink and then it won’t fit? Why isn’t this made out of cotton because it would look better in cotton? Why are two items which are identical with the only exception that one is blue and the other is red, are priced differently?

Why is there only one checker here at rush hour? What was the manager thinking? Wait ... that was a “what” question. Oh, who cares. Oh yeah, “Hey manager—why won’t you take all my coupons even when they expired yesterday?” I won’t tell. Why would anyone tell?

Why can’t I eat chocolate and be on a diet? Why does diet food taste like cardboard? Why can’t my butt be just a bit more perky? Why aren’t all those leg lifts paying off? Why aren’t slightly sagging things sexy on women when they seem to be sexy on men?

Why do you get wrinkles when you least expect them? Why can’t they card me once in a while just to stroke my ego? Why do I have to get old gracefully? Why is graceful a good thing? Why can’t I defy gravity?

“Why” is the eternal question? It applies in most every situation. I have spent my life wondering about the “why” of life. For years I have rationalized and explained away not just my own “why” issues—but other people’s “why” issues too. Why am I ranting like this? I don’t know. I am the one asking why here.

Humans are always asking “why” as it is the perpetual paradigm. Sometimes we shout it or scream it. We deeply sob as we contemplate it, asking some invisible power to give us an answer. Often we whisper it, mumble it under our breath and ultimately spend a lifetime of wondering why. Why does it have to be this way? ”Why does this have to be so hard?” or conversely, “Why is this so soft, now of all times?” Why now!

Why are some of you trying to decide which of these “why” questions you feel the need to explain? Why do we feel compelled to have answers? I think asking “why” is more important than the answer many times. Hmmmm. Why is that? 

Maybe we just need to collect all of our “why” questions. Why are you just sitting there? You know you have them. Why haven’t you shared some of your “why” questions with us? Come on! Why are you taking so long? 

9 readers liked this story.
From Around the Web:
08.24.2009
Jollyegirl
Excellent!!! I loved it!!! You probably just asked the why questions that we were all thinking. Why can't more people ask why???
08.09.2009
Cheekyredhead
Yeah...why did I fall on the playground the first day I wore my brand new orange bell bottom pants and rip both knees? Why did my Mom sew huge smiley face patches to cover those holes? I remember mourning the perfect orange bell bottoms now scourged with smiling knees...only to discover my friends were all begging their Mom to sew smiles on their pants. :)
08.08.2009
Sharon DeLoach
I, too have my own share of why questions. Why do I feel the need to write to you about your article 'Gimme Your Why'? Is it because I am older (62) and I have found out all the answers to your whys? Nope. It's precisely the opposite. I have my own set of whys. Why do you cease to be cool when you have children of your own. I read your other article too. Was I ever cool or was it just my own imagination? Well, yesI was cool albeit naive. Can you be cool and naive at the same time? I had no street savvy because I well sheltered by an over-protective mother and father. I grew up in the fifties and sixties and yes, I wore bell bottoms when they were popular. I had two young children at the time and the coolest thing was that they loved me intently. My husband loved me too, so I guess that was a cool thing also. Why do we all have and identify with the whys and wherfores and hows of Life. I guess it is because we never stop learning about life until we die. Why?
somewhere after the 40's, people stop saying, WHY? and start focusing on : HOW? Its a gauge of reality that somewhere along the road past maturity, everyone realizes that WHY never gets anything accomplished. Why do I have wrinkles? Why does my butt sag like a old balloon? All the WHY's only bring us futility. The folks that have moved into HOW...are the ones who get things done. How to make the wrinkles look better or how to help me feel better about them? So, what if the butt sags....just buy jeans with uplift in the rear, mashed down in the front, and flat pockets that never stick out and the key is stretch fabric. Look to finding HOW and leave WHY , sitting out in the cold? WHY? Because, its HOW to stay warm that matters.
07.07.2009
Cheekyredhead
Darn those p's and q's. ;)
It feels good to write.

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