What Means This "Interesting," Mon Ami?

This isn't going to seem fair to someone, but it's been on my mind for a couple of weeks now, so I'm g0ing to write about it anyway.

Not long ago I asked a woman I know what has her so fascinated with the new man in her life. One of her three reasons was that he likes skydiving.

Skydiving, she said. I've heard this same thing several times before. I nearly threw up.

First of all, I never really understood why anyone would want to skydive. I guess that whole "looking death in the face" thing is big with some fools. Of course there are people with terminal illnesses who look death in the face on a regular basis, but I rarely hear about women chasing after them. EXTREME CANCER! WHOA! What a rush!! Putting one's life at risk willingly has to be the most idiotic of hobbies. And accidents do happen.

Why some women find a man attractive because he throws himself out of a plane is beyond me. It doesn't make one interesting to me. A mind that helps me to see things in a new way is interesting. A person who is creative is interesting. Someone who can make me laugh is interesting. A guy jumping out of a plane seems more like an idiot to me. The pilot: interesting. The skydiver: a splat waiting to happen.

Being a risk-taker is not interesting unless the cause is worthwhile. Merely surving is not worthwhile. I can survive just by staying on the ground, I don't need to fall from the sky and hope my parachute opens just to prove I can survive.

Granted, I'm not that interesting because I'm too lazy. Still, I would think that what draws two people together is an ability to connect, not the ability of one to impress another. There's something programmed into us to pursue certain attributes in a mate. Somehow the skydiver represents the hero. I don't make the connection, but some find a way. But I also like what a friend of mine said when I asked her why women like guys who skydive. "America likes to be entertained," was her reply. I guess that's it. But I'm not jumping out of a damn plane. I'd rather pull my courage together and start writing a book. Writers are much more interesting than skydivers.