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A few years ago, I had a conversation with a friend that developed into a blog post centered around one of my favorite things about my husband.
(I hear you snickering. Your mind= the gutter! 😀 )
I like work-roughened hands. Callused, hard-working hands. Whether they hold a hammer, a wrench, a blow torch, a steering wheel, pull electrical wire, lay cable, climb ladders, towers, or electrical poles.
Hard working hands say so much about a man, most especially that they’re not afraid of a hard, hot days’ work in the sun, or a long day spent in the cold.
Hands say a lot about a man.
Jack was awestruck as he held out his hands to gently receive his daughter, with just a little help from Emma, as the baby was born. Tears streamed from his eyes as he gazed on her cherubic little face for the first time. Rose Marie’s tiny chin quivered as she struggled to form her first howling cry.
Because I was in Doctor Emma’s point of view for this scene, from Their Divine Doctor, I couldn’t elaborate on what was going through Jack’s head, but I can tell you exactly what he was thinking as he took his daughter in his hands for the very first time…
“I hope I don’t hurt her with these rough ol’ hands.”
Ethan reached out a tender hand and stroked Rose Marie’s downy little head as tears sparkled in his bright, blue eyes and got caught in his lashes. His lower lip trembled almost imperceptibly as he whispered, “Well, you’re just as beautiful as your mama, aren’t you, honey?”
I can tell you that Ethan marveled at how tiny she was compared to his big hand. He was also overwhelmed that this little being was a tiny part of his Gracie.
Adam Davis was a very tall man and could easily have held Rose Marie in one of his large hands. This gentle giant placed a hand on the baby’s back and in a shaky voice said, “Look at those little rosebud lips. She’s the image of her mama.”
And Adam… He was mostly terrified of dropping her the first time he held her. He even made himself a little light-headed imagining that. It was a long while before he could really relax any time he held his daughter. (Of course, readers know that nowadays it’s him that is wrapped around her chubby little fingers. 😀 )
I’m not saying that the hands of a man who works in front of a keyboard, holds a pen, dry erase marker, or a book are less sexy. They get just as busy with other pursuits that rough those hands up when not earning a living, or at least I hope they do.
This topic leads me to a side note.
If you know a boy, a teenager, or a young man, please teach them the importance of a good, friendly, but firm hand shake.
Make sure they know to be gentle with the elderly, tender but solid with the ladies, and firm but not a pissing contest with men.
Few things turn me off more than a man who has a limp handshake. It makes a long-lasting negative first impression so teach those boys not to do that, okay? 😀
I’d blogged on the subject of a man’s hands a few years ago and in the process of re-treading the article for the enjoyment of the Divine Divas, I realized I had more to say on the subject.
The article (from January 2012) wasn’t a long one, but this was a part I wanted to share…
Years ago, I held my [then] fiancé’s hands as we struggled with the death of someone very dear to us. That day I was struck by the gentle strength of his grasp. I think that’s what fascinates me most about a decent, hard-working man’s hands. Power, tempered by gentleness. The same hands that can control a large, recalcitrant animal can cradle the tiniest infant in safety. They are just as valuable for expressing love or passion in a story as any other body part or spoken words. They stroke, grasp, heal, protect and tremble, saying so much without words.
Those same manly hands are working overtime these days, doing the electrical wiring and audio/video wiring on our new home, as well as many other tasks. He’s a Jack-of-all-trades. This is just one more thing to love about him.
What do you think? Is it just me with a weird “hand fetish”? Do you feel the same way? Do my descriptions in books of a hero’s rough but gentle hands do something for you, too?
~H