Efforts in Futility

About a month ago I had two large Maple trees removed from my property. They were both the same species of Maple, Norway Maple, and had a fungus that infected many of the ornamental shrubs and plants in my yard. So it was a relief when they were removed. However, I felt that hiring someone to remove the stumps was a waste of money and something that I could do on my own. My first thought was that I could rent a stumpgrinder. My wife quickly quashed that idea with thoughts of a legless, armless husband. Needless to say I listened to her wise words and tried a chemical treatment. I neglected to realize that the chemical path was meant for stumps over as year old. Which is disappointing since the final step is reducing the stump to ash with kerosene. That would've been a blast! So I relegated myself to two options: let the stump season or try to take it out with multiple pieces of yard equipment. Being a man, I chose option two. I already had a pick and a hatchet, but I needed a splitting wedge and engineer hammer to strike said wedge. This would do the trick, I would be able to remove that unsightly stump in no time. I was way off. Wood is extremely hard. I should have known this but my man brain somehow blocked out that thought. I was able to remove some of the stump but much of it still remains. Which begs the question; why do us men involve ourselves in futile exercises. Much like the proverbial not asking for directions in the long ago times prior to GPS. The simple answer is that we like to do things on our own. Somehow calling a plumber, electrician, etc. eats away at our manliness. I can recall a time when we had a leaky faucet and my wife contacted a plumber to fix it. I was aghast. I mean, I should have fixed it when she asked me too but it was football season. Definitely not my fault. Anyway, the next time that it happened I did it on my own. And the faucet still works after five years. Not that I'm a plumber but I fixed it on my own. I also had similar issues with a washer and dryer. Fixed those too. Maybe not up to the standards of an actual repairman but I'd say overall I did a good job. I really hate calling other men to fix up my house. If the home is the mans' castle then he should maintain it. Over the years of home ownership I have learned what I can and can't do. I can't do dishwasher repairs, water and electrical scare me. But with the help of YouTube I can learn how to do most basic home repairs. Installing a light; simple. Changing a faucet; a pain but overall easy. Building a fence; so much fun. But we do have to admit when things are beyond our scope of knowledge. It doesn't make you less of a man at all. It probably makes you smart.