...a pair of chunky-heeled boots, a sparkly turquoise flower to clip in your hair, a book on how to care for your lawn without using chemicals that will make your pets and children sick, and one yellow rubber glove (meant for the cleaning supplies bag, no doubt - a dime short and an hour late).
I love chunky-heeled boots. I especially love boots made for stomping, the kind where people hear you coming. Kami has said she wants a nose ring so people who don't know her will think she's tough and not mess with her. I understand this completely. That's what boots did for me. I'd put my cowboy boots on, and my walk was transformed. Suddenly, it was more purposeful, it was a stride, the stride of a woman not to be messed with.
Of course, it was really about being able to see myself that way. What would it mean if I could see myself as someone who'd come to my own defense, rather than mostly bluster with marshmallow innards? I'm not sure if even now I think of myself as someone who'd come to my own defense - or if that's always the best idea.
This last makes me think of a story my brother reminded me of awhile back: when I was seven, waiting at the bus stop, a bully saying, "If you say one more word, I'll punch you," and me saying one more word and getting punched. There's no such thing as a certain quality being the right thing to do in every situation. Sometimes it will make us feel safer; other times, it will draw someone's fire.
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