Hii! I'm sorry I've been MIA for quite some time, but in the meantime I'd like to leave you with something my mom has always instilled in me:
It's always better to give than to receive.
It doesn't mean let yourself be taken advantage of, but simply that you shouldn't expect to be handed everything. Rather, give what you can because it's always going to be the best you have. There's no better prize, reward, or gift than that.
This past week I've been hanging out with a few 10 year olds. On Saturday I saw my cousin and yesterday I hung out with my "little sister." These two little girls are very different in almost every sense of the word. One's athletic and active; the other prefers to stay at home with her family. They're pre-teens and soon they'll be reaching puberty. As of now, they're still not interested in boys or makeup or nail polish except that it looks cool. They don't NEED this stuff like girls in high school and women need it. "I won't go anywhere without make up on" is a commonly heard phrase.
What I'm trying to say is...they're innocent...and I like it.
My little sis told me yesterday that the boys at school say she's a tough girl because most of the girls are really girly and prissy. She likes to ride horses and doesn't mind getting dirty. She's a little bit like me -- outspoken, opinionated, and is a "tough girl." But every time I go over to her house she plays with my hair or paints my nails and we do these "girly" things. My cousin is similar. She's shy but she likes to do things her way. "Who would ever want a boyfriend?!" is something she commonly asks me.
These little girls have something that I wish most girls continued to have throughout their lives -- the courage to be who they are. They don't know who else to be at this point -- they don't have boys and other girls telling them to be a certain way to be "cool." They're just them.
But of course, they're still insecure about some thing on their bodies, because that's what society tells us we should be. I feel for these two little 10 year olds. Once they reach middle school they don't stand much of a chance...none of us did, and few remain themselves. I guess that's how I want this to trickle down into the younger generation. You CAN be yourself and do all of the things you've always loved and still fit in.
She didn't have to change or prove anything to anyone:
Hey Guys! This is Molly, I’m one of the writers. I have been with the Warrior Queen movement since Raewyn started to form it. The concept surprised me and inspired me then. Now without even realizing it the warrior queen definition runs through my head all day long. The movement is one that definitely builds women up and makes us stronger, more confident, worldly women. So here is my first blog post:
I Statement
I'm wondering if we counted how many “I statements” we said each day what would be the total: the hundreds, thousands, millions...could we even count that high? We live in a world that is so focused on ourselves. We complain about how the world is treating us. Stop complaining and face what is in front of you; handle and deal with it. Why do we complain about things that do not affect us andact like a victim? Like it was inflicted upon us and we are blameless. “My test was so hard” - if we studied harder, it would not have been. We try to remain blameless in situations where we are to blame. “She’s so mean to me.” When it actuality we let them be mean. In addition, we take offense because we feel entitled. We are entitled to nothing. We deserve nothing but receive everything. I am complaining about complainers. Complaining is used to draw attention to one’s self. I need to learn to sit back and enjoy life and everything about it. Trashing another person does nothing but boast. If it’s not hurting us why does it matter that: her mom does her homework or she took modeling photos. We complain so much in this world. I am sick of it and I do it so much. Praise each other for the little accomplishment. In conversations listen to others points of views and wait to add in your two cents. Don’t sit there contemplating what you are going to say next. I am sassy and I noticed it a lot this summer. I saw that almost every statement I said to certain people was almost always sarcastic and nasty. Why? Because I wanted to take out how I felt about my situation on them. Sarcasm is used to bring attention to myself and how witty I am at the expense of someone else. In a world that is trying to change for better; how can we change when we are all so focused on ourselves instead of each other. I am not saying we need a collective society focused on the betterment of the whole; but rather we need to stop trying to make ourselves look better and focus on the world around us.
