Tags
Empowerment, Eve Ensler, Female, Friends, Girl Power, Girls, The Vagina Monologues, Women, Your Village
It was an eventful weekend at the Yeoman house! Mine was slightly extended since I stayed home from work Monday. I am battling some kind of hybrid cold/allergy/I don’t really know what the hell it is type of sickness, but more on that later. So many interesting things happened, and so many great thought-provoking conversations took place that I find myself with many potential blog topics this Tuesday morning. There may be so much to discuss about last weekend, that it stretches through the week! So, I’m going to call this series: Last Weekend.
I had a sale on Saturday, had my hair done on Sunday, and stayed home from work on Monday. Sprinkle in a poker night and some sushi, and it would seem my weekend was fairly eclectic. The events of this weekend did have one common thread however. Women. Let me explain…
On Saturday, I worked with three women who, like me, are trying to make some extra money selling products they believe in. They got up early, packed their cars, drove across town and set everything up, and stood ready for the public by 7:00 am. On a Saturday. Outside. In the cold. See, the thing about these sales that I participate in, is that there are no guarantees. You may have one customer, you may have a hundred. Success is a complete crapshoot. Yet, there we were. Us four ladies, eating bagels in a chilly garage, holding out hope for a decent crowd and trying to make a little money. We talked while we worked, which I love. I don’t get many opportunities to meet people and sometimes struggle with not having a “village,” as my friend April so wisely called it. We chatted about our products, about the difficulty of the sales game, and about our kids. We are all in different places in life but our common goals brought us together. I think that that is amazing in this great big world.
Sunday, I had my hair cut and highlighted by a woman who I don’t see often enough. The very wise, aforementioned April who called my lack of relatable friends near by, my missing “village.” I really need to see her more often because my hair looks like I stumbled off the set of Little House on the Prairie most days, but I want to see her more often because talking with her makes me feel like I’m not crazy. We see eye to eye on so many things. We have many of the same concerns about health, society, and the fate of our nation. She is smart, kind, and genuinely caring. April has taken her health into her own hands, researched tirelessly and made really difficult lifestyle changes in order to live not only better, but the healthiest life that she can. I learn so much every time I see her. Plus, she’s from the Midwest so she automatically gets cool points.
When I arrived home on Sunday night, one of my all time favorite women was waiting for me. In town visiting her family and willing to share some of her time with us, Rachel had come over on her way back to California to find me away. She hung out with Mike and cuddled my babies until I got home. We only had a little while to chat before she had to make the long trip back, but we managed to discuss our writing, new goals and opportunities, men and of course, love. With Rachel there is always underlying love. Many people can put it on the back burner, you know. Love, behind money, behind work and behind other stressors. Love often times becomes an after thought. Some aren’t interested in finding it. Some get burned and give up on it all together. With my lovely friend, all of life’s “stuff” can be present and pressing, but love is first in line. An undying belief in finding true love… it is truly her best quality. I can’t wait to one day meet the special man who is deserving of her heart.
Monday, I stayed home from work because the evil sickness that began on Saturday, peaked that morning and I could not bring myself to get out of bed. Mike took Truman to daycare (Which I felt guilty about for around three minutes) and I kept Grant home with me. He slept in with me until 9:30 and then we got up. I wanted to accomplish something besides cuddling my sweet baby and drinking tea, but I didn’t feel like doing anything heavy duty. I decided on laundry, since I could lounge on the couch while hanging and folding. Relaxation without the guilt! While Grant dozed sweetly, I folded clothes and watched The Vagina Monologues. I may be the only woman alive who hadn’t watched The Vagina Monologues yet, considering that the first performance was in 1996, but since I have never heard anything about it from my friends, I’m willing to bet I am not.
I was vaguely familiar with Eve Ensler because I bought her book, I Am An Emotional Creature: The Secret Life of Girls Around the World. It is beautiful, heartbreaking and inspiring all at once. I bought the book for one poem and fell in love with the rest of the passages immediately. So, when I saw the title, “The Vagina Monologues” on HBO On Demand while flipping through channels, bored and wanting background noise for folding laundry; I immediately recognized Eve Ensler’s name and thought, why not? The performance is a little shocking, very enlightening, sad, funny, and has the power to make you angry. I could write a book about the entire experience and the hundreds of questions it brought to my mind, but for now I’ll focus on only one point:
Women, we are truly amazing beings. We have the ability to do anything and everything that is possible to do in this world. We are beautiful and fierce, determined and driven, vulnerable and yet incredibly strong. We are fluid, constantly changing and adapting. We support ourselves, we support our families, we support each other, strive to reach our goals, and learn from one another. We stand up after being shot down, over and over again. We set our minds on something and against all odds, we achieve it. We can carry children in our bodies; but not only in our wombs. We can carry them in our hearts, in our arms, in our minds. We worry, we cry, we protect, we adapt, we persevere, we love, we laugh. We are the perfect blend of steel and silk. We survive in a society that believes we should do everything, yet not be allowed to do too much. We are told we are weaker – we are not. We are told we are less – we are not. We are told there are things we can’t do and things we can’t become – we can. But we need each other. We can do so much, if we do it together! So, find each other. In big ways, in little ways, in any way; find your village. I have had one this whole time… and didn’t even realize it until last weekend.