Angela and I returned to the house Wednesday evening to find
the driveway completely covered with ice and totally impassable. To make matters worse, the plow had gone by, leaving
a three-foot tall pile of solid ice chunks across its entrance. I could not pull in and we would not be able
to pull her car out. It wasn’t a
surprise, but on Thursday morning, we had to get to work chipping it all
away. It was just the two of us.
After a while of “ice picking” and after we had fallen into
a routine of slamming down a shovel and a hole digger to break up the rock-like
surface; after scooping and lifting and after several rounds of me singing “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” – just when my shoulder blades were starting to
feel the sting, our conversation went something like this…
Tan: “Why don’t we have any men around?”
Angela: “[‘Cause] we can do it ourselves.”
Tan [smiling]: “Right.
Thanks Angela. I got lost there for
a minute.”
Angela: “No problem.”
Then after a few more minutes of back-breaking efforts to
loosen the solid mound…
Angela: “It could be worse… We could have MEN around.”
(cue laughter)
First of all… sorry to all the wonderful men out there who
are reading this. :) Despite our sense of humor, I do believe we
would have very much appreciated someone with some muscle to have helped us out
there.
Secondly, the way our conversation swung from wishful
thinking and a sense of lack to a sense of empowerment, appreciation and gratitude made me remember
that…
Sometimes a miracle doesn’t necessarily mean a change of
circumstance,
but instead a change in perception.
Here’s wishing you all a week filled with miracles (miracles and safe driving).
Namaste
P.S.
With the driveway sufficiently cleared, we were free to go
to The Metropolitan Museum of Art where we remembered the women of Ancient
Sparta who “were famous for their independence” and “reared much
like boys, including physical fitness training.”(1) We also remembered Ancient Egypt where,
contrary to other societies of the time,
“men and women of equivalent social status were treated as equals in the
eyes of the law”(2) and the queens of Ancient Egypt who, while the
King was around, played a supportive role but in his absence might be called
upon to rule. A few queens even “managed
to overcome centuries of tradition and prejudice to rule their land as female
kings.”(2)
Here are a couple of the books I got in the gift shop there:
Should be good reads.
Much love to all the beautiful strong women and to the beautiful strong men… love you
too.
Ref:
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_ancient_Sparta
2. Tyldesly, Joyce: “Chronicle of the Queens of Egypt,”
Thames & Hudson, 2006
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