I've been corresponding with a lady over email. While the conversation is your typical, get to know you, back and forth between friends I've noticed something interesting with the way we sign off on our respective messages. She includes a tilde in front of her name while I stick to a dash.
Does it matter what you use to delineate your name at the end of an email? Not really to be perfectly honest. But if you look at your keyboard you'll notice that tildes are wavy and curvy while dashes are hard and straight. It struck me as odd that we defaulted to our respective delineating marks without even thinking about it. Hers being flowing and graceful, mine being blocky and strong.
Is a tilde better than a dash when signing your name? Nope. Is a dash better than a tilde? Nope. They're both equally as useful but entirely different.
Like men and women are different. We are equally valued for our unique traits but we're entirely different. Women are beautiful, graceful, flowing, and pleasing to behold while men are strong, singularly minded, straightforward (in general - I'm keenly aware that I'm stereotyping). My lady friend defaulted to the flowing delineating mark while I went with the straightforward delineating mark.
It struck me this evening as I was replying to her message just how appropriate our respective delineating marks are. Trust me when I say that she is far more pleasing to the eye than I am. The tilde fits her better while the dash wouldn't fit her anywhere near as well.
All this to say that men and women are different. And I'm glad that we're different. To lose sight of those differences is like rendering innate beauty and strength moot.
Also, because I had a classical education....I'll leave you with this Gustav Klimt painting, The Kiss, as proof that I'm not quite as crazy as I come across.