Perspective

Riding the 4th street pulley elevator in Dubuque, IA.

Another view of the stone arch in Nauvoo, IL

Watching the movement of water

Should I step forward?

Only Wednesday, and so far it's been an interesting week. Amazing how I have learned to take things in stride. How do you teach that to someone? You don't.

Had a lovely conversation with a woman who works at the IRS yesterday. I was audited on my 2012 federal income taxes, and rightly so. I screwed up. It took me 6 months to get a corrected bill to pay. The IRS is so complex, so huge, and so disconnected from each department that they have a difficult time tracking what task each area is performing.  I paid what I owed 2 months ago, and resolved the last letter telling me what a deadbeat I am yesterday. Uh huh.

I give it 6 weeks before I receive another letter, informing me that my bank account will be frozen.

And then there is the family. Sigh. I am a strong woman. I say this with a certain amount of pride, because I started life as a wimp. I was a wimpy kid, afraid of just about everything. Something strengthened me in my mid twenties, not sure what, but it has kept growing over the years. I wish I could take some of my strength, my will, and give it to females that need it. But I can't. And you can't teach it. In fact, at this point, it doesn't do any good to even discuss it. My patience wears thin with women who refuse to help themselves. Where is it written or dictated that a woman needs a man to take care of her? Hello? You aren't really serious on this point, are you?

It was my generation, and those 10 years older than I, who heavily contributed to the equality movement for women. It was my generation who rolled up their sleeves, and said yeah, we can change society. Let's just do it.  I look at women in their twenties today, and wonder who ties their shoes for them. And it scares me for the future. Because the attitude of "bare foot and pregnant" will come back, abortions will be illegal, and women will somehow, in some convoluted way, lose voting privileges.

So. All I'm saying is, it takes hard work. Whatever you want, you have to work for it. Done. There are no shortcuts.

Just do it.
Linda