It’s only the middle of the week and the crazy on the Internet
seems to be working overtime.
Sometimes I have to walk away from the Facebook and news sites and gain
my composure and regroup. It seems
like this week I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching and rising above. And the most common observation I have
made is that people are really upset if you don’t think exactly like them and god forbid you have a differing
opinion and then voice it. Oh
LORT, the amount of verbal diarrhea that’s about to come your way could fill
rain barrel. And for those of you
like my very handsome but very smart ass handsome, that’s a big ole barrel that
sits outside and collects the rain for your garden and flowers. Yes it exists. No, it’s not just a Yankee thing.
I couldn’t even begin to write about all the articles and
conversations I’ve witnessed this week, so I will highlight, without trying to
impose or be too overly political. If you don’t agree with me, this probably wont entertain you
near as much as it does me and all my friends, in my head. There was a conversation about a
bill that has been passed in Congress that would allow women to be eligible to
be drafted if the draft were ever reinstated. Now as you can imagine this brought out some serious heated
opinions. The gist of this discussion was basically, should women be drafted, was it fair, are
they equal, should they be and how would this affect their abilities to raise
their children and be away from family? You can imagine how the tempers flared with this
one.
So this particular topic hits a little close to home for
me. The main point that I had my
head wrapped around was the idea that men and women are equal. Big shocker, I don’t think they
are. And that’s ok. It’s ok that we are not equal in
all that we do. Everything
about us makes us different from one another. Not just our gender, but everything, our entire DNA code
makes us different. And that’s
ok. I will never boost the
feminist flag, mainly because I like bras. They’re pretty and make the girls look good and I can’t
imagine having to burn an $80 bra for the sake of womanhood. I just can’t do it. But just because I’m not a feminist
doesn’t’ mean that I think women should be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen
either. Viva La Maids!!!! Or do they like to be called something
else now? Every one is so
sensitive these days with their labels.
I want to be able to proudly wear my fashionable Diane Keaton suit and
go to the office and make a good living.
However, I don’t want to go on the battlefield and do a road march that
could possibly mean me having to go #2 on the side of the road. Oh no, that’s just not me.
I realize that there are all those hardcore placenta-eating
cross fitters out there that believe they can do anything a man can do. And for that 0.00001% of you that
can, ROCK ON!!! But let’s just
be real, that is not the normal.
And that’s ok. Society
today is trying to tell us that being “normal” is no longer acceptable. Everyone is equal. All the kiddies deserve a trophy. It’s ok that little Susie
didn’t dress like all the other little girls in the recital, she’s someone’s
delicate snowflake who needs to stand out. (Thanks Ms. Jami I borrowed that from you!) I love my children with all my stony
little heart. But let’s face it;
none of them are going to be Nobel Peace Prize winning kids. They’re not. And more than likely, neither are yours. Now, I’m not going to tell them
that. I’ll do what good moms
do. I’m gonna lie lie lie!!!! I know my kids limits, and Nobel
Peace Prize, well that ain’t one. Realistic goals, I just don’t want to be a
grandma before they graduate high school and no one living in my basement when
they’re 30. I think those just
might be attainable goals. Reach
for the stars kids!!
It’s also ok to be a loser. What, that’s crazy talk!!!! Yes, it’s ok to lose.
We can’t win everything we go out and do. And what if we did, what’s the point? What do you have to work towards or
improve? My daughter had tennis
today. She couldn’t hit the broad
side of a barn. She got mad, threw
her racket, stomped a little bit and then did what all little girls do,
cried. I’m sure there is some
progressive movement out there to ensure that little girls never lose and cry
and Mr. Tennis Coach would be publicly shamed but I was not in that place. I hugged her and then I laughed. It’s part of growing up kid. You have bad days. Shake it off, rub some dirt on it and
look forward to the next day. You
won’t always win. And that’s
ok. You won’t always get a
trophy, but the one you do get will be special and you will cherish it.
I want my daughter to know its ok to not be equal to a
man. You know what you get? A man like your daddy! We are not equal by any stretch of the
imagination. He’s hairy and smelly
and makes weird noises and he’s loud.
But he’s also my protector and girls need to be protected
sometimes. He opens my car
door!!! Ok, this is pretty big on
my list. Every time. He opens my car door. And I always just sit there looking
confused while he’s waiting on me to unlock his side. And then he gets in and always yells…DON’T WORRY ABOUT
ME I GOT IT!! Its sweet how he
talks to me sometimes. Every
day for the last 9 years without miss, he has told me he loves me and thinks
I’m beautiful. Even on my worst
days. Yes, no matter what
kind of hard-core feminazi you are, every woman wants to be told they’re
beautiful. They do. Doesn’t matter that you already
know, we long for that validation.
It’s in our DNA that makes us different. I can shoot an intruder with accuracy and defend my Castle
while he’s away and deployed, but that doesn’t take away the fact that I want a
protector. A man. And that’s ok!!! And he wants me, his delicate flower. And by delicate I mean when I call him
and scream bloody murder like a crazy person because there’s a snake outside
that has me trapped in the house and he’s in California being all Mr. Hero
Scout Pilot and I’m having a panic attack. He loves it when that happens. He clearly wasn’t being my protector that day. But when he did come home, there wasn’t
a man on the planet that couldn’t hide behind a tree waiving a shovel 15 feet
away from the snake in the landscape bushes better than him. That’s my loving man the protector. (This is what happens when you marry
helicopter pilots!)
Now just so there is no confusion on this whole women in the
military business, I am by no means saying or suggesting that women shouldn’t
be in the military. I have dear
friends that are women who served.
I applaud them. Because
let's face it…that was never the path I could do. I’m really not into the whole camouflage uniform and I would
never be able to get my hair in that slicked back bun thing and the
hours?? Oh who are we kidding, all
that yelling before the sun comes up, nah Drill Sergeant I’m good. I think
they’re awesome for doing it.
They are all strong, independent, great women. And I’m honored to know them and call them my friends. And even though some of them are
Army vets and some are Navy vets…its ok!
We need to embrace our differences. Play to your strengths but most importantly;
we need to stop being so damn offended by everything. Everything is going to be ok!
