Besides the hostesses, I was the first to arrive for an evening of event planning. Most of the time I hate being late, and I'm usually ( not counting my best friend J, who's always early) the first one to arrive.
It was difficult for me to go tonight, even though I knew it would be an evening filled with laughter and fun. I'm still coming out of a little bit of a depressive slump, and going out with friends has yet to regain it's former charm.
I didn't do much. In fact, I just kind of sat back and let the other ladies, more experienced in these events, take over. I just enjoyed being there. The friendly banter, jokes, ideas offered and rejected...random quiet times and loud moments filled with close to ten voices talking at once in a mix of English and Spanish. It was right where I needed to be.
As the evening wore on and final decisions were made concerning our event, we all filtered back into the living room, and onto the couches and the floor around the fireplace. Despite the fact that it was late, we settled back to enjoy a slice of pie and a cup of coffee. The conversation turned to silly stories and personal experiences. Once again, I relished the moment.
What is it about spending an evening with the ladies that is so cathartic? We were a varied group tonight, old and young, single, married, and widowed. The youngest present only 13 and the oldest in her 70s. Yet, the conversation flowed freely as did the laughs.
It seems that no matter what stage of life a woman finds herself, there is always the need for release. We are born into the life we have, into the society we are, and as soon as we come into the world expectations are placed on our tiny shoulders. The burden is there so instantaneously that we fail to even notice it's presence. The expectations of being an obedient daughter, a good student, a good girl friend, a good friend, a good wife, of being beautiful, of being thin, of being successful, of being a good mother, of being forced to bear on your shoulders whatever life is pleased to hand you, yet holding your head up all the while. This is what it means to be a woman in today's world. This is why evenings like the one I experienced tonight are so important. We would die under the weight of our responsibilities and expectations otherwise. Perhaps I'm being melodramatic, but any woman will know what I mean. We NEED these nights, in the same way that we need water to drink and air to breathe. Because for just a little while, even if it's only for a few hours, we are free.
Imagine that you are a worker in a mine. For 7 days a week, you labor in the bowels of the earth without seeing the sun, without being able to stand up straight to stretch your back or limbs. You're mentally exhausted and your body aches down to your bones. Suddenly, you get a day off. You make your way up, up, up, and at last you see the sun. Waiting for you is a warm tub of water. You step in, tentatively at first, and then feeling the warmth of the water submerge yourself completely, letting it ease the tension and pain from your muscles and bones....you begin to relax.
That, dear world, is what a ladies night does for us.
"...Thus grew the tale of Wonderland: Thus slowly one by one, it's quaint events were hammered out- and now the tale is done...the dream child moving through a land of wonders wild and new, In friendly chat with bird
or beast-and half believe it true..." -Lewis Carroll
No comments:
Post a Comment