Well, this is my first post, so consider this a test. I don't have much on my mind besides that C-RAZY win the Cowboys just got. I'll start there and after that, I can't guarantee where I'll end up. My mind behaves like a Smorgasbord of thoughts at times.
Anyone who knows me knows that I love me some Dallas Cowboys. Our play isn't always in a pretty little box, but tonight, we got the job done. I say "we" because I know that somehow, someway, they hear me screaming and yelling at them through my TV. I'm a vocal fan, always have been. I talk trash when those lower-level fans hide in a corner and cower. I talk trash because win, lose, or draw, I'm a Cowboys fan for life! They may make me feel like I should own a defibrillator, but I say it keeps me young. Who needs cardio at some stuffy gym when I can just watch a football game?
Someone at a bar once said that a "lady" doesn't get into the game like I do. I looked him square in the eye and said "Who are you callin' a lady?! I'm a woman! There's a difference!" I will talk plays and stats with anyone. I was raised in the South, that's how we're bred. I can cook dinner, drink a beer, and watch a game without ruining my dish. Why is it that a guy can scream and curse at the television during a game, but I'm supposed to wear some silly pink jersey (last time I checked, pink was NOT on of the Cowboys' colors), drink some silly, frilly drink, and be quiet while the guys have all the fun? PLEASE!! Give me a beer, my authentic jersey, and room to thrash around when I get mad! I'm a woman in every sense of the word, but don't come between me and my sports.
Why are some people in this world still hung up on some antiquated view of how a woman should behave. As long as my husband doesn't mind, it doesn't really matter what anyone else thinks. I have always wondered why we live our lives trying to satisfy this double-standard of what being a woman is. I might not go to the salon every two weeks, but my hair is done. I don't go for a mani/pedi every week, but my feet and hands are still pretty. I may use some foul language at times, but I'm pretty sure I could be quite the opponent in a debate. None of these things make me any less of a woman and I refuse to let anyone make me feel like they do.
One day, I hope that we will raise our daughters to know that they can do WHATEVER it is they want to do. Raise them to know that they don't have to be all pink and frills to qualify as a woman. Being a woman is SO much more than that. Having the specific body parts is only part of it and that part only makes you female. A woman knows what she wants and she has no problem going after it. If what she wants is a family, then she has every right to go after that family. If she wants a career, she has every right to go after that career. If she wants it all, then she has every right to go after it all. Why is it that it is more acceptable for a man to have a career that takes him away from his family, but a woman "doesn't know her place" if her career is just as important? Why is it that a woman has to give up things to have a family, but a man is not expected to do the same? I, for one, think those are valid questions.
Now, in no way am I a crazy feminist about everything. I just wonder sometimes. Being a woman is about respecting yourself, in ALL areas of your life. Respect yourself in your career. Respect yourself in your relationships. Respect yourself in your day-to-day life. How can you teach your daughter to be a woman when your inclusion in that category is questionable? Women are always saying that it takes a man to teach a boy to be a man. Well, it takes a woman to teach a girl to be a woman. You can't teach her to respect herself and her body if you're sleeping with every Tom, Dick, and Harry who smiles in your face and pays you a compliment. You can't teach her to be financially responsible if you're blowing money on mindless crap the minute it touches your hand and then worry about how the bills are going to get paid. You can't teach her how to work for something when you haven't had a job in God knows how long and aren't even trying to find one. You can't teach her to be self-sufficient when you are constantly relying on a man or men for your livelihood. You can't teach her to be a good wife when you ignore your vows at every turn. It's simple math. Nothing + Nothing = Nothing.
My goal in life is to teach my daughter, should I every have one, to be a woman, not just another female. If I never have a daughter, I hope I can be a good example to someones daughter because there are plenty in this world who need a good example. I hope that I live my life in a way that some young girl, or grown female, will look at me and say "I want to be successful, happy, respectful, and respected like her". I don't want anyone to want to be me, but I hope my actions and the decisions I make in my life, even if they do go against the grain, will inspire some girl or female to DO better. To LIVE better. To LOVE better. To BE better.
