OK, I know the title is a mouthful, so I'll try to explain as much as possible.
I own a business where I might be in charge of five or six subcontractors on a single job. Each of these could employ three to five men, and it's almost always men.
Last week, one of the men hurt himself on the job. Not badly, but I just happened to be on the site and saw him right after it happened. It had been raining off and on, and they were trying to rush some things. Of course, he slipped and pulled a muscle.
I'm a momma first. Mothering is an instinct that evokes a first response, and I'll never be able to squelch it. So naturally I ran to help. Without even thinking, I took control of the situation even before the sub was on the scene. I had a couple of the guys bring him inside where I just wanted him to rest. And naturally I wanted to make him comfortable enough trying to figure out what the problem was with my limited Spanish. One of the men stayed around to help me translate.
He was fine after some rest, cold water and a pep talk.
So now fast forward to yesterday, I'm in the market picking up something for dinner when I see three men in the produce section, and they keep looking my way. I think I should know them because it seems like they know me.
When I finally pass by them and say hi they say hello, and finally one of them says "You're the pretty lady that likes Miguel."
I thought I misunderstood them until they told me about the scene last week with the guy that was hurt. He was Miguel. And because I helped him, now I like him. And I learned last night that "like" meant that he was now favored and supposedly we're an item because I spent time with him.
Had an interesting conversation last night with one of my best friends and my husband about a woman showing compassion to a man. It's what I do. It's what I was taught to do, and I do it without a second thought.
My husband says that some men will take it as a sign of affection and the first step towards starting a relationship. Apparently there's some truth to that with what happened on the site.
So the question in the title says it all: can a woman show that she cares for an man's welfare without implying anything further? If a woman showed some compassion to you is your first instinct to think this is an opening act?
I've already got butterflies in my stomach thinking I overstep my boundaries too much, and it makes me sad to have to pull back.
Of course, now I feel that I can't visit the site until that sub has completed his part.
I own a business where I might be in charge of five or six subcontractors on a single job. Each of these could employ three to five men, and it's almost always men.
Last week, one of the men hurt himself on the job. Not badly, but I just happened to be on the site and saw him right after it happened. It had been raining off and on, and they were trying to rush some things. Of course, he slipped and pulled a muscle.
I'm a momma first. Mothering is an instinct that evokes a first response, and I'll never be able to squelch it. So naturally I ran to help. Without even thinking, I took control of the situation even before the sub was on the scene. I had a couple of the guys bring him inside where I just wanted him to rest. And naturally I wanted to make him comfortable enough trying to figure out what the problem was with my limited Spanish. One of the men stayed around to help me translate.
He was fine after some rest, cold water and a pep talk.
So now fast forward to yesterday, I'm in the market picking up something for dinner when I see three men in the produce section, and they keep looking my way. I think I should know them because it seems like they know me.
When I finally pass by them and say hi they say hello, and finally one of them says "You're the pretty lady that likes Miguel."
I thought I misunderstood them until they told me about the scene last week with the guy that was hurt. He was Miguel. And because I helped him, now I like him. And I learned last night that "like" meant that he was now favored and supposedly we're an item because I spent time with him.
Had an interesting conversation last night with one of my best friends and my husband about a woman showing compassion to a man. It's what I do. It's what I was taught to do, and I do it without a second thought.
My husband says that some men will take it as a sign of affection and the first step towards starting a relationship. Apparently there's some truth to that with what happened on the site.
So the question in the title says it all: can a woman show that she cares for an man's welfare without implying anything further? If a woman showed some compassion to you is your first instinct to think this is an opening act?
I've already got butterflies in my stomach thinking I overstep my boundaries too much, and it makes me sad to have to pull back.
Of course, now I feel that I can't visit the site until that sub has completed his part.