Masculinity, Femininity, & Attraction

[Listen to an audio version of this blog here.]

I met a man last summer by happenstance. I was running through the Grand Canyon, and he was hiking. My headlight died, and I followed him for a bit until one of my friends found me. We parted ways, and I thought nothing more of it, until I received a message through this blog (edited for brevity): “Sarah, this is whats-his-face. We met last night when your light went out….for a brief moment at the top I thought to swap numbers, though being so near death just couldn’t get it together to ask…wondering if you’re interested to meet up sometime. Beach + Poetry? Write me back if you’d like, text or email works great. No pressure either way. I just believe in following instincts, exploring coincidences, being open to gifts. Wishing you a great week!”

Sort of weird, but not in a bad way. We eventually met up, and my initial impression of him was vague. His energy was a bit off-putting, because he was both too sure of himself and too eager to make a good impression. His energy skewed toward the more feminine end of the spectrum, and I don’t think it’s wrong to say I don’t find that attractive. “I don’t know. He not unattractive at all but his energy is really confusing.” I told one of my friends. To be fair, he was at a weird spot in his life. In between jobs, living at home, and somehow still, a bit hubristic.