Why Woman's Work Is Never Done!

So, I log on to a free clip art site. Hmm, I’m thinking, maybe I’ll start by just typing the word “women” in the search box.

Wow! Lots of great pictures! Women reading. Women talking. Women exercising.

But it’ll take a month of Sundays to view all the photographs, and who really has that kind of time. Definitely need to narrow the search a bit. Did I mention I’m creating a photo collage of women of, you know, a vibrant age? No? Well, I am. Or was.

Anyway, to tell the truth, when I looked at the first few pages under the broad (gotta love homonyms!) search, it was hard to determine if some women had yet reached the big 5-0.

The next thought was what if I use a picture of a woman who isn’t at least 50? Of course the clip art is free and the woman photographed obviously provided the picture for use within public domain rights. So, no, I wasn’t worried about getting sued or anything. And anyone seeing the collage might question the age of certain women, but still that wasn’t my main concern.

Face it, how many of us want our 49-year-old or younger countenance portrayed a day older than we really are? Seriously, not good.

Kind of like when someone asks you when the baby’s due, and you’re not pregnant.

Nothing would do but for me to search again. This time I precede “women” with a dreaded word. Slowly I type s-e-n-i-o-r. It results in four pages of pictures.

Oh, I could have stopped there, but no. Still don’t know if the next search makes me feel better or worse, but I typed “older women,” and only one picture surfaced.

I’m choosing to believe it is not because people do not wish to see pictures of older women. I submit it is because a woman runs the clip art site and refuses to use that label. (She was probably on vacation the day that one picture was added.)

Bottom line, I thought the search was over. The product finished. Because just look at it, it’s indeed a vibrant nation of women, don’t you think? Yes, definitely vibrant.

But, how do I say it… Now you’re reading this post. And I’m thinking, the reflection on your computer screen, yet another vibrant woman has appeared and should be included!

Oh, woman’s work is never done!

(No clips or art were harmed in the making of this collage :>)

--Diana Black

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Why It's Matt & Me 4-ever!

He’s tall, dark and …100% rubber.

Yes, I’m talking about my yoga mat, Matt.

It was love at first plank. And trust me, I’ve been through one or three “Matts” in my day, so I know what I’m talking about.

Naturally, at first I was leery, fearing yet another mat would dump me. After all, the number of failed moon salutations over the years was astronomical. And downward-facing dogs? They were never a “pawsitive” experience with those other mats. So, no, not this girl’s best friend.

Then along came Matt.

I’d heard Matt could handle a really hot woman. It’s true. Perspiration is no sweat. Matt lays there almost begging “Bring it on!” Another positive, going longer than 20 minutes is no problem for Matt, which is good as the classes I attend are generally over an hour.

But, you ask, you’re over 50, don’t you worry Matt will leave you for a younger “yogini”? Sometimes. So, here you have it. When we’re not together, I tie Matt up. I use my yoga strap so it looks innocent enough, like you know, I’m just trying to be neat and keep my yoga gear in order.

So far Matt hasn’t complained. That’s right, Matt has no opinion…and could care less about the TV remote.

-- Diana Black

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In Why's Defense

* Why did we meet that Kroger shopper?

* Why did we hear that NPR interview?

* Why did we win Bob Dylan concert tickets?

Why, why, why?

Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s “Theirs not to reason why…” (The Charge of the Light Brigade) might suggest there are times it is irresponsible to question why. Example: in defense of country.

But a closer look at events that inspired Tennyson’s poem—half a league’s attack during the Crimean War—begs the question: Why should we not believe the men silently reasoned why?

Or, maybe the more important point to explore is this: Is there a "right" why and a "wrong" why? Or a right time and a wrong time?

Once you’re actually riding into the valley of Death, you may already want to have the “whys” pretty much sorted out and resolved. Just sayin’.

Before that charge, though, that’s the time to reason why. So that when the big day comes, we know who we are, how we got there, and what really matters.

Problem is, today we seem to have it all turned around. First, we ask what matters; then we ask how we go about getting what. But the thing is, forget how we get what, we never asked “why” what matters. (Is there a “who’s on first routine” emerging?!)

Again, just sayin’, might we ask ourselves why meeting that shopper seems special; why that interview sparks our interest; why tickets to a Dylan concert makes our heart sing.

Why?

That’s the leftfielder’s name.

- Diana Black

That wallpaper! WHY?!?

You know how it is. You’re excited to move in a new place, still you notice LITTLE things that bug you A LOT, and you swear in a couple weeks, okay, maybe a month, you’ll have them whipped into shape.

WHY, you ask yourself, would ANYONE live with, for example, that wallpaper? Outdated? Ha, that doesn’t begin to describe it. You dare say downright repulsive is more like it.

Now, hypothetically, let’s imagine the above scene taking place in, oh, 2006. In the fall.

Summer 2007: well, the AC needs work, and new deck furniture would be nice so you can enjoy your beautiful backyard.

2008: election year and you need to vote.

2009: who can remember.

2010: the house exterior could use a fresh coat of paint, and lord knows, you have to keep up with the Joneses.

Spring 2011: YOU CAN STAND IT NOMORE! You are out of control. You sponge bathe at the kitchen sink because you can’t bring yourself to enter either bathroom. The service station down the street refuses you the restroom key even when you argue there’s no sign limiting number of uses by one individual, or family.

So the transformation of both rooms is sanctioned. It’s the best of times; it's the worst of times.

You and your sister spend amazing time together and have funny new stories in your repertoire. The rooms look amazing, and really, the worst of it? You have a little less money in your bank account, and there’s only that one associate at Home Depot who issued a restraining order.

Why?

That’s blog for another day…


~ diana

Why Use That Word?

Why @[insert name]?

I admit. I used it, too. It happened when I wrote on a Facebook Friend’s status. I wanted to address another person’s comment out of a string.

I’d seen others use, for example, “@John” or “@Jane,” and thought, well, I guess that’s the wave of the future.

So, not wishing to offend the Status Syntax Gods or appear Facebook illiterate, I smugly inserted @ and felt very hip.

It was like I dared others to read my comment directed only to whoever’s name followed @.

I mean, even I know enough that when I leave a comment, and later get notification that someone else has added their thoughts, if it begins with @, and my name does not follow, “Back off, Bub!”

It’s like in the “olden days,” steaming open someone’s personal mail and reading it. (It’s just much easier on Facebook because you don’t have to apply glue to reseal the envelop. No one is the wiser.)

Then I thought, what happened to that cute little curly thing we learned to use in elementary school? What’s it called? Oh, yeah, the comma.

So like if I wanted to let Jane know I was mainly addressing her comment, again in the “olden days,” I would have typed “Jane,”. How cute is that?

But, @you, you’re probably right. That little squiggle’s way too subtle. With overwhelming amounts of information bombarding us 24/7, @ is the most efficient way to get our attention. Clearly it filters through all the “stuff, ” so others need not waste time reading a comment directed solely AT JANE!

Of course, there’s always a downside to everything. @ has caused another victim of unemployment.

Hope the salutation comma finds other work soon…or, better yet, is rehired.

--Diana

Why Not Jump?

I love yoga. Love LOVE LOVE it! (did I mention I'm kinda crazy about it?)

Partially because every time I go to the mat, I discover something new... about the practice and myself. This week, it was forearm stand.

No, the picture isn't me...for lots of reasons! One being if it were, there would be a yoga friend, Sheri, holding my right leg so that I would not fall. (Thank you, Sheri, for giving me the courage!)

So here I am, nearing a birthday that I'm sure the numbers got reversed somehow (yeah, that's about right...36...that's how old I feel...most days!) and tackling something like nearly standing on my head. (actually that's one of ultimate yoga goals.)

Now, I'm finally getting to the point of all this. Lately I've been letting myself jump from one creative project to another. Allowing myself to jump from this activity to that activity. From one book to another (before reading "The End.")

WHY? It makes me feel alive. It keeps me MOVING! (Used to be I was afraid that if I did not stay on one thing until it was completed, I would never finish it. And that would show lack of committment and ownership.) But what I've learned instead is this: If there is something my heart aches to do (okay, let's assume it's within the "cause no harm" category!) in any given moment, and I deny it...that moment is dead.

May every moment we are priviledged to live, be alive.

Jump to it!

--Diana