16 March 2005

Misconceptions about Strong Women

There are a few drawbacks to being a strong woman. I think I qualify as one. Certainly I think most of my husband's family thinks I'm a dowright bitch.
I tend to run in a circle of strong, outspoken women. We frequently hear jokes about being domineering and headstrong. Even though we take it in good humor it gets a little tiring sometimes, at least from my point of view.
Being strong is not always a good thing. People just assume you can handle something. A couple of years back, a very strong friend of mine had a miscarriage. I asked her if she wanted a hug. Later, I could have kicked myself. I had to ASK? What the hell was I thinking? Because she isn't a delicate little flower, I thought maybe she wouldn't react the same way to a physical show of support. How stupid of me. That same friend is now dealing with a (successful) c-section that went septic. She's dealing with it just fine, by all appearances, but I'll bet she's sick and tired of having to.
I've about had my limit of things I can handle. I am working part-time and student teaching full-time. For which I don't get paid, by the way, thanks to everyone who's asked how much student teachers make. With Kyle's back being out, the housework, especially our laundry is way behind. I've been able to do about 2 loads a day, with help from the elder children. We kind of recycle the same clothes off the top of the heap as the bedding and extras pile up. Unfortunately, part of the heap winds up on the basement floor. This morning I went down to get clean clothes and discovered the sewer had backed up all over the basement floor. There are days when I've just had enough, and I want to go sit in the corner and cry. I don't have time for that. I have to try to run a snake before I call the rooter guy, because the last time this happened, he wasn't much help anyway. I'll call as a last resort before I spend $150. Then I have to wash laundry for hours, either here, if the sewer works, or at the laundromat.
Enough venting. Back to it. As soon as I go to the neighbors and use the bathroom.

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