Oh, Mr. Akin...

Guys are dumb. Not dumb... simple. But that's also what makes them great... I was explaining as much to my husband when we were watching The Land Before Time (click here for preview).  The movie is awesome but war is stupid. And one of the few times a little bit of Femminazi comes out in me is when I get so worked up about the amount of wars humanity has endured... and come to the conclusion that men are often dumb.

Anyway I was thinking about Mr. Akin's comments on rape... legitimate rape, the possibility of getting pregnant, etc. And the first thing that came to mind was the Female Power onslaught that was about to take place on FB.  And did it ever... Open letters to Mr. Akin from rape victims, diagrams of a women's reproductive system complete with 'anti-rape' measures, insistence that even though both Romney and Ryan said Akin should step down... that the whole GOP agrees with Akin.

What Akin said is horrible, thoughtless, and more than anything else... just dumb. In no way should rape be politicized for one side or another. Could you imagine if a woman had to fill out paperwork to prove her rape was 'legit?' I get headaches from all the paperwork I have to fill out to get my kid in preschool.

Rape is rape and its terrifying and cruel and can be life shattering, with or without a pregnancy and/or disease and/or irreparable mental or physical damage that may accompany it.

The problem that I have with all this though is that this dumb and demeaning comment came up during yet another abortion debate. So now... once again, people will try to lump together people who are pro-life with people who want to interrogate women who are raped to see if said rape was 'legit.'

And, again, that is stupid.

I am pro-life but I personally want the legality of abortion issue to be taken off the shelf as a political topic for a few years. I know... my pro-life friends will remind me that all the while, babies are perishing. But it is so omnipresent that it seems that little thought goes into it by many people and instead people pick a side and use the one-liner that best suits them.  Whether it is:

"abortion is murder."

"no one should be able to legislate a woman's body."

or

"I believe its a life, but I don't feel comfortable telling other people what to do with their bodies."

The third of which is the most cowardly and dumb and often said by males who are scared to ruffle any feathers of the finer sex.

The first two... I believe at least both have points.  But maybe if we took it off the table for a little while, could we pretend that the issue is not so black and white?

If one side stopped trying to make it illegal, could the other side stop saying its a right?

If one side stopped saying how dangerous it could be for the woman, could the other side stop insinuating that it's easier than pregnancy?

If one side stopped saying its a religious issue, could the other stop saying its a privacy issue?  (maybe we could focus on it being a medical issue?)

Mostly, if one side stopped pretending they knew exactly when 'life' begins... could the other side also stop pretending they know exactly when 'life' begins?


We defensively hurl paper bombs filled with worn cliches at one another.  Do we really need sides on this one? Rape is awful and evil we can all agree on that. Can't we all agree also that abortion is pretty terrible too and start the conversation from a place of compassion and genuine willingness to do right by each other?  But that can't happen until the water settles a little.

So, I'm done... we should all sit back and watch The Land that Time Forgot! especially since it gives us the secret of evolution (spoiler alert: apparently it all started with women having a bath in a huge egg tub... I'm still a little confused by it all)

Until you get your own copy (its on TCM on Demand right now) Here's an awesome dino attack scene!!

Hope you have a lovely day,

thanks for reading...

Morning has Broken

One winter morning last year, I was running late taking my daughter to Kindergarten.  I was praying I would make carpool as I desperately did not want to walk her into the school office wearing pajamas with no bra, and gold heels.  Yes, stilettos actually... they were by the door, and yes that might have something to do with why we were running late...

anyway...

My son got sick in the middle of the night and I was going to have to call the preschool and then the doctor and reschedule my dentist appointment for the 3rd time.

As I zipped out of our neighborhood, my daughter explained in much detail how if I had just let her wear her aquasocks to school then we wouldn't be so late. When it dawned on me that I also forgot her lunch, I decided to drown everything out with the radio.

Pouring through the speakers came 'Morning has Broken,' by Cat Stevens and unexpected tears blurred my vision as I heard the lyric 'has broken' to mean 'has been destroyed.'  With one small twist of a word, every following lyric changed- from hopeful to hopeless and from glorified to dejected.

How quickly and easily one small shift can change an entire perspective. What had once been one of my favorite songs that lifted my spirit,  had now become the anthem for my depression.  The promise of a fresh start each morning transformed into the pain of another repetitive day.

"Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird."  Praise and joy because of the constant world of love and wonder we have been given; turned to, no point in trying, things will never change.

I just made carpool that morning and proceeded to pull off to the side of the road a couple blocks away to catch my breath. I could've cried and dwelled and headed straight into sorry-for-myself-ville. And maybe I would've if I hadn't gotten a text from my husband, "Jay threw up, not cleaning it, I'm in my suit. please hurry."

Sigh. Maybe morning had broken... but I didn't have the choice of getting a new one.  So I turned on madonna, stopped for a coffee and went on with the day.

Life is how you perceive it and what you choose to do with those perceptions.  I used to keep a poem in my day planner through high school and college to remind me of that. Somewhere along the way I lost it but after this particular winter morning, I found it again:

This is the beginning of a new day. 

God has given me this day to use as I will.

I can waste it or use if for good

and grow in its light.

What I do today is important, because

I'm exchanging  a day of my life for it.

When tomorrow comes,

this day will be gone forever,

I hope I shall not regret

the price I paid for it.

Author unknown

If you ever find yourself in a rut or dreading the morning I hope this may help you too.

Meanwhile, I hope you always anticipate sunrise, spring and every new beginning with hope and elation!

thanks for reading,