They say that men have a hard time trying to figure out the female "mind." Well, truth be told, I've always spent a lot of time trying to figure out how the male brain works and why we have such differences. I'd like to say that I have discovered there is something men possess that women simply do not. Men are born with a packing gene. Let's call it the "Tetrus" gene, for in the game of Tetrus, each precise move determines the next and any single misplacement will cause instant failure. Dexterity is also a factor. After seeing my son be able to create a flying Lego invention of his own design, pretty much right after coming out of the womb, I can say with certainty: men are dexterous beings who know how to pack. Females simply do not possess this packing gene.
Every summer, as part of the ritual of our yearly road and ferry trip to Martha's Vineyard, I recall my Dad getting us all up early. We needed to bring our suitcases downstairs so he could pack the old station wagon properly. You know those 1970s wagons - the size of a small boat? Every inch was carefully planned and calculated for maximum efficiency, including the open space left in the "way back" where my best friend Ellen and I would be cosseted among the suitcases, coolers, tennis gear and other paraphernalia for the six hour drive to the Cape.
Married now to an even more skillful packer than my Dad, I watch in awe as my husband methodically places every box, bag and chip into our Jetta in the Costco parking lot once a month. I am amazed at his skill placing suitcases in our Mini with impossible precision. He does it with such aplomb.
He has the gene. I certainly do not.
So, in anticipation and celebration of Father's Day coming up, I would like to say thank you to all those men who have packed me off to places unknown, adventures to conquer, supermarkets to home. My father, my husband, boyfriends, supermarket clerks, FedEx guys, my packer-in-training sons. Thank you all and Happy Father's Day!
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