February 21, 2011
I haven't blogged in 13 days now. In every other writers' mind, that would be considered procrastination for sure! However, I am new to the writing world so I will call it prolonged writers block. :-) Anyways, I was reading an article today on Oprah.com about a woman going through what she called a "mid-wife crisis." And it got me thinking about the many transitional points that are significant in womens' lives.
It may just be me, but don't men seem to go through life as effortlessly as a bird gliding through the sky in flight? Hitting life's ups and downs with effortless confidence, and constantly taking their goals to the next level? Granted that's not all men, but the fact of the matter is even in 2011, it is still a man's world. And many men will tell you that women are the ones that have it easy. Au contraire, my male friends.
Aren't women the ones who are expected to "have it all?" We get to give birth to children, have our periods for approximately 30-35 years, go through about a decade of menopause and night sweats, raise the children we sometimes regrettably decided to bear, and oh I almost forgot...try to actually have the time to salvage a career identity through all of this, albeit still in a man's world! Men, in all their sometimes annoying simplicity, have to just go to work and try to do a good job. That is where nearly all of their identity is wrapped around. No men, I'm sorry to tell you the sad truth, but you are the ones who have it easy. I'm not saying that your job itself is easy. I'm simply pointing out that you are not expected to become "Super Perfecto Gal" at five endeavors at one time. I'm kind of glad that my entire identity is not wrapped around what I do for a living because unlike women, when men retire and realize their purpose in life is over...they want to kill themselves. LOL! Must be why us women live longer than they do.
Women definitely have the upper hand in terms of living full, well-rounded lives. But getting back to the mid-wife crisis, I think the expectations on women today are too much. This causes many women to become resentful later in life, whether it be toward their husbands, children, or even friends or co-workers. After all ladies, don't we just want to be appreciated and loved by those closest to us? When all is said and done though, we women are tough old birds. We may not all be worthy of the top of the corporate world from a male point of view, but we can certainly conquer anything that is thrown our way. We don't have the male ego weighing us down every day, holding us back from pursuing what we know to be morally right and worthy of changing the world for the better. Oh and for all the men ou there that think most women are nothing but gold-diggers, ask yourself this... Do you think your wife could do YOUR job better, given her outstanding multi-tasking and communication skills?
...Are men REALLY more talented than women in most jobs? Or are women still expected to focus their talents in traditional roles.....Since change is scary for most, I have a feeling this debate will go on for a long, LONG time. Peace!!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Oh...the city life!
February 8, 2011
I sometimes wonder if I was in Kansas for too long. In the short time that I've been back in St. Louis, I have somewhat felt like a nomad. Roaming the streets in no particular fashion. Braving the traffic elements. Finding my place amongst the madness. And all the while becoming more curious about the St. Louis populace.
After living in the stillness and everyday similarities of Kansas, it has become even more apparent to me now how diverse people really are in big metropolitan areas. I look back on my previous times here and don't know how I was able to overlook that. Around one corner you see a homeless person, briskly delving into a trash can to find that one bottle of Jack Daniels to claim happiness with. On the next block, you might find a spikey blue-haired gothic dude with earrings in every orifice but his ears.
Then there's my absolute favorite...the guy in my apartment complex that seems to love to crow like a rooster. Every single morning, like clockwork, I hear an echo in the distance of an animal that you would more typically find in Kansas, and not in the next apartment building over in the St. Louis area! Now for all I know it could be some kind of new type of alarm clock thing that I missed out on knowing about because I lived in Kansas for three and a half years. (Kansans are still about 25 years behind on any new technology or gadgets.) And the irony of it all, he/it crows continuously for about 20 minutes or so, long enough for someone to "hit snooze," if you will. In the meantime, I guess I'll keep going on about my day as if this is some normal occurance that I should just write off.
I've got to say, in Kansas, most people to me seemed a little "out there." Maybe it was just their slow pace with everything that killed my tolerance level. It took almost my entire tenure there, but I finally realized why THEY seem to value their slower tendencies. (The cows seem to love it too.) The city provides too much for them to think about and handle. They are simple people who would rather spend their time at the local cafe, talking about the latest weather reports over their java cup. City dwellers are used to the complexities, opportunities, and multi-tasking requirements of everyday life. (You have to be focused on five different directions while driving to make sure no one hits you on the highway!) Country people talk, walk, think, work, and drive SLOW. After all, what is there to rush around for...they have time on their side and their cup of coffee. With all the diversities of the city life though, I couldn't help but wonder...is it the "madness" of the city that makes some people go "mad in the head?" Or are the small-towners the "normal" ones?
I sometimes wonder if I was in Kansas for too long. In the short time that I've been back in St. Louis, I have somewhat felt like a nomad. Roaming the streets in no particular fashion. Braving the traffic elements. Finding my place amongst the madness. And all the while becoming more curious about the St. Louis populace.
After living in the stillness and everyday similarities of Kansas, it has become even more apparent to me now how diverse people really are in big metropolitan areas. I look back on my previous times here and don't know how I was able to overlook that. Around one corner you see a homeless person, briskly delving into a trash can to find that one bottle of Jack Daniels to claim happiness with. On the next block, you might find a spikey blue-haired gothic dude with earrings in every orifice but his ears.
Then there's my absolute favorite...the guy in my apartment complex that seems to love to crow like a rooster. Every single morning, like clockwork, I hear an echo in the distance of an animal that you would more typically find in Kansas, and not in the next apartment building over in the St. Louis area! Now for all I know it could be some kind of new type of alarm clock thing that I missed out on knowing about because I lived in Kansas for three and a half years. (Kansans are still about 25 years behind on any new technology or gadgets.) And the irony of it all, he/it crows continuously for about 20 minutes or so, long enough for someone to "hit snooze," if you will. In the meantime, I guess I'll keep going on about my day as if this is some normal occurance that I should just write off.
I've got to say, in Kansas, most people to me seemed a little "out there." Maybe it was just their slow pace with everything that killed my tolerance level. It took almost my entire tenure there, but I finally realized why THEY seem to value their slower tendencies. (The cows seem to love it too.) The city provides too much for them to think about and handle. They are simple people who would rather spend their time at the local cafe, talking about the latest weather reports over their java cup. City dwellers are used to the complexities, opportunities, and multi-tasking requirements of everyday life. (You have to be focused on five different directions while driving to make sure no one hits you on the highway!) Country people talk, walk, think, work, and drive SLOW. After all, what is there to rush around for...they have time on their side and their cup of coffee. With all the diversities of the city life though, I couldn't help but wonder...is it the "madness" of the city that makes some people go "mad in the head?" Or are the small-towners the "normal" ones?
Back in the STL!
February 5, 2011
I have survived my first week back in St. Louis, and I am happy to say that I'm still in one piece! Haha! I have come to the realization of how much I have changed since my last bout here. I never thought it would feel weird to come back to the city with everything you could possibly need or want sitting right there at your fingertips only a couple of miles away. Maybe I acclimated to Kansas more than I had perceived. The pace of the city seems much faster than last time after being in the turtle pace of Kansas life. Cars seem to drive faster and ride your a** more. People still pull the ever-present "not letting people merge onto the highway" stunt. In the grocery store, people run into me with their carts because apparently shopping at warp speed is the new norm! I used to be just like all of these folks, and now I am "the slow one!"
But the question is, have I actually slowed my pace down, or have I just learned over the past few years how to take the time to think? In Kansas I became accustomed to learning how to appreciate things and see things for how they really are. When you take all the "stuff" of the city away, it's amazing how clearly you can see things, and yourself, through the looking glass. People here are consumed by the things around them. Their identity has wrapped itself around their beautiful cars, fancy restaurants, night clubs, and stellar homes. Who are you when you take away all of those things? I don't think many people have a clue.
I'd love to be a fly on the wall and be able to watch some of these people hack it out in the sticks of Kansas where all you have are your family, your cup of coffee, and your front porch to reflect on. Not to mention an endless amount of cows to talk to and tip! In a land like Kansas, where status means absolutely nothing, St. Louisans would have a nervous breakdown. Their cell phones would drop calls, their laptops would be slow, and they would be forced to (God forbid) TALK to people face to face! Meanwhile crying into their Starbucks coffee mugs, like I did, and reflecting on how good they really have it in the city. :)
That's the thing about Kansas...It teaches you how spoiled you really have become. Thanks to my time in Kansas I've learned to appreciate what I DO have, and that I can still be a happy person without the things I don't. It's not what you have that matters, it's what you choose to do with the life you have.
I have survived my first week back in St. Louis, and I am happy to say that I'm still in one piece! Haha! I have come to the realization of how much I have changed since my last bout here. I never thought it would feel weird to come back to the city with everything you could possibly need or want sitting right there at your fingertips only a couple of miles away. Maybe I acclimated to Kansas more than I had perceived. The pace of the city seems much faster than last time after being in the turtle pace of Kansas life. Cars seem to drive faster and ride your a** more. People still pull the ever-present "not letting people merge onto the highway" stunt. In the grocery store, people run into me with their carts because apparently shopping at warp speed is the new norm! I used to be just like all of these folks, and now I am "the slow one!"
But the question is, have I actually slowed my pace down, or have I just learned over the past few years how to take the time to think? In Kansas I became accustomed to learning how to appreciate things and see things for how they really are. When you take all the "stuff" of the city away, it's amazing how clearly you can see things, and yourself, through the looking glass. People here are consumed by the things around them. Their identity has wrapped itself around their beautiful cars, fancy restaurants, night clubs, and stellar homes. Who are you when you take away all of those things? I don't think many people have a clue.
I'd love to be a fly on the wall and be able to watch some of these people hack it out in the sticks of Kansas where all you have are your family, your cup of coffee, and your front porch to reflect on. Not to mention an endless amount of cows to talk to and tip! In a land like Kansas, where status means absolutely nothing, St. Louisans would have a nervous breakdown. Their cell phones would drop calls, their laptops would be slow, and they would be forced to (God forbid) TALK to people face to face! Meanwhile crying into their Starbucks coffee mugs, like I did, and reflecting on how good they really have it in the city. :)
That's the thing about Kansas...It teaches you how spoiled you really have become. Thanks to my time in Kansas I've learned to appreciate what I DO have, and that I can still be a happy person without the things I don't. It's not what you have that matters, it's what you choose to do with the life you have.
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