Our Roles as Women in Today’s Society

One of my favorite perks of expanding my blog-hobby is reading posts from fellow female bloggers that cover relatable issues we all deal with as career women.  Verification, understanding, and knowing that other women experience the same balancing act of work + home life soothes my soul, if nothing else.  We may not have all the answers...the following quote from a recent post by a fellow BlogHer publisher got my attention:

"Yep, I thought to myself. I can do it all. I can be a good wife and mom, keep the house clean and have my dream career. I am woman. HEAR ME ROAR....

And then my seven-year-old daughter said something the other night that shot all my smug thoughts straight to hell."


"...I found myself sitting with a half-dozen other bloggers and PepsiCo CEO Indra K. Nooyifor a conversation about our roles as women in today’s society, the work-family balance is exactly what came up."

Read complete post here.

Also, see this article covering women's health and stress.

Highlights: "After following the health of more than 17,000 women -- mainly Caucasian health professionals -- for more than 10 years, the researchers concluded that a stressful job increased a woman's risk of heart attack by about 88 percent and raised the risk for bypass surgery or other major cardiovascular procedure by about 43 percent."

"Men, of course, face plenty of stress and heart-health risks themselves...but working women tend to shoulder more, including raising a family and maintaining the home. "Women have to be particularly attuned to the issue of various stressors in their lives and seek help to manage them." 

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Insightful thoughts from Bathroom Reading

I apologize up front for this post.  But blogging is an outlet, my outlet, and I know I am not the only over-achiever, Type A, perfectionist, stretch the hours in the day and burn the midnight oil woman out there who tries to cram 178 things into her already packed schedule.  

So yes, blogging is one of those things I cram into my schedule.  And reading, for pleasure, is another one.  And sometimes, I only have time to read when I am in the bathroom.  Sometimes I get to take a bath, other times, I don't have time for a bath (I shower, come on people.) But the pace of life these days in increasingly horrendous.  

Gone are the days where you melt into a porch swing with lemonade and fall asleep reading a good book as the sun sets...(wait, were those days ever here? Not in my generation) 

Today's generation is all about the blackberry, droid, streaming media, streaming teleconference, Ichat, Skype chats...fast fast fast!

With the advent of increasingly detailed technology, our days get filled with more and more "stuff."  Naturally, the unexpected happens, things break down, and your "plan" for your day is shot (i.e. car battery dies, cell phone battery dies, you get sick, get lost, start your "cycle," pull a hamstring, lose a deal, lose a case, lose an argument, lose your socks, lose your keys, trip, break a heel, break a nail, mess up on your diet (damn you Cheesecake Factory!) or whatever the case may be....as my husband likes to say "Schmitz happens."  

I find myself craving glimpses of a greater perspective and a glorious break for the Daily Grind...I cherish those profound moments and soak them up, spending time reflecting.  

The alternative is to ignore the tug or call at your heart and soul and continue on dutifully and mightily, checking things off of the list and running on your hamster wheel until you burrow yourself into the ground.  We all can get so caught up in small details and fail to understand the bigger picture. I am guilty of that.  

To emphasize what I am talking about, every day I drive on a particular road to and from work, running errands, buzzing home.  On that SAME road, this month, a 21 year old girl was killed in a car crash, a car driven by her boyfriend, after a night out of celebration and good times.  She was a college grad, beautiful, in love and had grand plans to go to law school.  

And then in a minute, one minute, her life is over...I don't mean to make this post turn somber, but really, when my head gets so far off course, and I can no longer see the forest from the trees, and I need some quit time to myself, I go to the bathroom.  And lock the door.  I am comfortable in there, it is small, the tile is cold....and I read....for pleasure not for work.  I thought after law school the desire to read for pleasure was lost, but the opposite is true.  I wish I had more time to devote to leisure reading, but for now, time is of the essence, and when I need seclusion and peace, I keep my stack of go-to bathroom books which are readily on hand.

Jesus Calling...a devotional that constantly reminds me of His Peace and Patience for me...when I doubt, am anxious, or searching for understanding or the meaningful lesson from an otherwise dire, all-out crappy day.  

And for the times when I crave a comically refreshing yet raw kick of girl power to knock my bum into gear and saddle up in my inner 
soul sister strength, I look to my trust "How to Hepburn Guide."

Kate the Great is also, coincidentally, the nickname my Dad always called me that growing up.  Hepburn's classic rules to live by:


1) Have a Credo
2) Find Yourself Fascinating
3) Say what you think
4) Don't confuse self-improvement with Self-remodeling
5) Find Danger exhilarating
6) Wear Sunscreen
7) Find the type of clothes that you feel best in and never take them off
8) Make it COUNT!

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We're all in this together!

I just love finding new blogs/sites  that inspire the creative side!  And when I came across this sign (poster?) I had to laugh, because I was just looking through photos I had taken a week and a half ago and .....well.....

YEAH, THAT WAS MY BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS.  And last week, it was leftover cookie and frozen yogurt.  I later realized why (hormonal shift - sorry for TMI) but I got to thinking...The reason signs like the one above are so funny is because they are relatable and so true! I feel better knowing I am not be the only one who fails.  And I guess that is all just part of life.  But since the male species does not have to go through a change in their hormones each month to lessen their willpower...I guess that leaves more cheesecake for me!

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How many women, I wonder, do more than 4 things while driving...I mean, these days, with social media, Twitter, Facebook, cell phones, Ipads, Ipods, Tablets, Books on Tab, Blackberrys, Bluetooth....I could go on but you get the picture.

This is what my usual morning commute looks like, coffee, toast or waffle (or donut if it's that kind of morning), make up, checking Blackberry, making phone calls, and sometimes even finishing getting dressed.

Oh, and always primping the eyebrows, the visor mirror is like one of the fun house mirrors.  I could stare at those furry frames for hours at home, and then BAM, as soon as I get into the car, and pull that grey visor down, all of a sudden I am a sasquatch.

These days, everyone is multi-tasking and I think it's getting the better of us.  I do not advocate this kind of behavior, in fact, I embrace the "art of doing nothing," and wish Americans knew how to do more of that.  When I studied in Salzburg, Austria, my girlfriend and I would walk to a cafe in the morning, grab a croissant and a cappuccino, stroll down the cobblestone street to class.  Then we would grab a glass of wine, or beer, and a pizza at a side street cafe, and lunch and people watch for an hour to two.  The waiters hardly come by to ask how the food is.  Not because they are rude, but because they don't assume everyone is in a full on steam blowing hurry!

Ah.  The sweet life: knowing how to appreciate the art of doing nothing.

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