My husband just looked up this woman who replied to a post of his on Instagram. Her reaction to a lift video he posted was all sorts of excited emojis, about 5 or 6 in a row. Brad saw that, and wondered who she was. So he went to her website. Yes, this woman made a whole website about herself. I was fascinated. The biography she wrote about herself was all about these over the top activities like sea kayaking in the Arctic ocean looking for narwhals. I kid you not. I mean she had things in there like horseback riding through Kenya, or doing whatever else in Morocco, or climbing seven of the eight tallest mountains, which she wrote about herself in the third person and made it look like it was being written ever so lovingly by someone who admired the heck out of her. I just imagined herself sitting there fist pumping, high fiving herself, putting heart, fireworks and bomb emojis on it after she put the finishing touch on this exquisite dissertation about herself.
As Brad rambled on about all of the stuff she managed to do, which included a trip to the 2015 Crossfit games in the 60+ category (I think this was the only thing that impressed me to be honest) I said rather dismissively, "Wow". Brad countered with, "this is a woman who obviously grabs the world by the balls". I countered that point, "we should all be granted that luxury". And so this blog post was born.
Why does a woman have to do such grandiose things for anyone to think she is "grabbing the world by the balls?" I don't mean to diminish all that she has done. Or maybe I am because I feel like there are way more women out there doing things that don't get recognized as "grabbing the world by the balls" because they seem ordinary to the world at large, but they're not.
I immediately thought of our waitress at our hotel Miami, Amy. She was such an amazing person to speak to. She is a single mom working two jobs and putting herself through school to achieve a better life we came to learn after having the pleasure of chatting with her. Why doesn't our society consider this Herculean feat she is accomplishing on a daily basis as awe inspiring as this woman who has a whole website dedicated to all of this stuff I would never think to do as a mom. I think what Amy is doing is wayyyyy more impressive. SHE is a woman grabbing the world by the balls. Making it her bitch, all the while doing it alone. It wasn't like she was writing this bio about herself as if to say, Hey! Look at me, I'm awesome right??
Why do I consider the woman who held her child's hand in the hospital after her child tried to harm herself more impressive? The woman who promised her child she wouldn't let anything happen to her, that she would be ok. The woman who made it through some of the darkest moments of her life like she was fine and could withstand what was going on so her child would be able to see the calm in her face and know every thing was going to be alright. Why do I consider what she did wayyyy more impressive than the woman who describes herself as a sportsman and intrepid traveler?
What about women who are grappling with whatever illness they have, depression, cancer, diabetes, alcoholism, insert any illness here, and working every day, or raising their family every day? Trying to make it through when underneath it all somedays they just don't know where the strength is coming from to put one foot in front of another. Why don't they realize how freaking beast they are and make a website about themselves?
What about the women out there brave enough to serve in our military? I know I personally wouldn't have the fortitude. But many women do serve our country. Some who chose to have children, and have families, have to leave them for eons at a time because our country needs them to perform their jobs and provide us with the safety and security so we can go climb mountains if we want to. I want to see more websites about them!! Their mountains are way harder to climb than the summit of Everest I think!
What about teachers? These are women (and men, but I am ranting about women here so I will leave the boys out of this) who truly mold our future. We all have those teachers that made such an impact on our lives, we remember them, and what they did for us, so fondly. I would rather read an entire website about these women who are underpaid and completely under appreciated, who truly make a difference in our world by helping our children reach their goals.
Or women who volunteer their time at places like animal shelters, food pantries, homeless shelters, shelters for battered women and their children and such? That selflessly give their time to make the lives of the the innocent, the less fortunate better. Actions like that impact our world with such a positive energy, why is riding on horseback in Kenya something that is supposed to make me more impressed? I guess for me it doesn't. But for some reason it doesn't compel many of these Wonder Women to make up their own website because it's doesn't have the wow factor of retracing the footsteps of Lewis and Clark.
I don't know, like I said to Brad I don't mean to sound ugly, but I know so many women who have done things that blow me away who haven't created a website to let the world know just how awesome they are. Who quietly go about doing what they do, making their impact on our world, all without needing to make a website tooting their own horn.
But, as for this horn tooter whose website got me all riled up? When I think of every thing she's done, yes I am impressed, and no, I don't want to take any of it away from her. I think it's awesome you have accomplished so much in your time on this planet. I think it's important for women to support each other. But honestly? How did your actions do anything positive for our world at large?
I think that's exactly why I want see websites about women who are doing nothing that makes them think they are extraordinary too.
I think we are all extraordinary to people in our lives. We are all doing something that makes us special, I just wish we all felt what we are doing makes us exceptional enough to have our very own website.
“Humility is the greatest shaper of souls and crafter of character, for it wipes away all the grandiose things that we spend so much of our lives pretending to be, so that we can spend all of our lives being the exceptional person that we were actually created to be.”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough
― Craig D. Lounsbrough
