I remembered a fantastic feeling this morning, the feeling of wearing Underoos. Can you remember the feeling of secretly being a superhero? It was a snowy day outside, living in Oklahoma we don’t get that very often. The children were excited, bursting with energy and ready to get out and play. I went about my daily tasks, cleaning up the muddy footprints, each time scolding the children for making them. I started out the new year searching for a change, hoping for a better feeling than I had had all week . But alas, work still presented its struggles and friendships threw strain on my emotions. I had been down, feeling like I was in a slump I just couldn’t pull myself out of. Then it happened, my three month old baby explained life to me, in a way that no grownup ever could.
It was a toot and a smile. This simple action reminded me of the feeling of the Underoos and suddenly my entire life came into perspective. The simplicity of it was the best part. Babies are comfortable in their own skin. They have no pressures to make them conform to “grownup” society their enjoyment of simple pleasures is what makes them so precious to us.
So why do we lose this simplicity in our lives? From what I can tell, it is responsibility. As we grow up our parents constantly give us more and more responsibility, and rules for being socially acceptable, this in turn gives us less time to enjoy the simple pleasures. Until we are no longer children, we are productive members of society. Must we be so concerned with appearances and productivity that it consumes our lives to the point that we can no longer enjoy these fleeting moments of happiness? Is always being “acceptable” to society more important than inner peace or the happiness of your family? Will time stop and the earth crumble if the muddy footprint is not wiped from the floor? I say no, we must only look at the footprints from a different angle. Look around your house right now and find something that you consider not socially acceptable. If you have children this shouldn’t take long. Now take a good hard look at it, from a different angle. What happened in this spot, what kind of fun was had to create this, did it make someone smile? By taking a look at the everyday things that can pull down our moods or create an atmosphere of unhappiness from a different angle maybe we can create a whole new way of living.
Women I believe have more social constraints than ever before. Not only are we expected to be beautiful and go to great lengths to be this way. We are also expected to be good wives, mothers, homemakers, and employees! We put extreme pressure on ourselves to reach higher and higher goals. While we struggle to keep a perfect home, look good, and raise “perfect” children we leap and stretch to break the “glass ceiling”. All the while the men sit on the couch, unconcerned with their appearances or the footprints on the floor. We wonder why they so often easily find success in the workplace. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not a woman that believes that the woman’s place is in the home, or that I don’t have a great respect for the men who “bring home the bacon”. I believe that for each person, there is a place of peace whether it be on one end of the spectrum or the other. But I do know that men can sit on the couch, toot, and smile!
So as I continue my journey through life I will keep these things in mind. I hope that they will help me find the “balance” I am always searching for. I will remember to look at the footprints from a different angle, I will hopefully get to a place where I can toot and smile, and I will wake up every day looking for my inner Underoos.
