An Evolving Life. For Herself Or For Him
For Herself Or For Him
On the heels of the Kavanaugh confirmation, I’m still outraged at Susan Collins’ unfathomable vote. How could a female Senator of any party find more truth and compassion in the ‘he said’ than the ‘she said,’ especially in this case?
With this question roiling beneath my daily life as I tried to move forward last week, the answer appeared miraculously in black and white when I resumed reading The New York Times and spotted this article, “Women Don’t Think Alike. Why Do We Think They Do?”
Assumptions always get me into trouble even when I don’t realize I’m assuming something. My mistake was that I thought all women want what I want: safety, freedom, independence and an identity of their own.
Apparently that’s not the case. “Women don’t act as one,” according to the article by Susan Chira. Some maintain traditional views about women’s place, prerogatives, and believe that political power rightly lies with men.
When I was teaching Writing as an Adjunct Professor, one of my favorite books to share with my students was A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf. But I guess a substantial bloc of women in this country don’t want to pay rent for that room; they would rather pay with their bodies and their souls.
Again I find myself searching for hope. And again, I’m finding that hope in the creative process, in my artwork. Here is a piece, called Rose, that happened to be in the works when I first read The NY Times article.
At rest, she is rosy, unencumbered, lying freely in repose with her head first. My hope is that she is also leading her life with her head first—not just her heart—living for herself, not for her man or for anyone else....
HB Note: The article referenced above— “Women Don’t Think Alike. Why Do We Think They Do?”— was written by Susan Chira, and published on October 12, 2018 in The New York Times. It’s a worthwhile read— if you have NYT digital access, click here.
Please click the image to enlarge.
Rose
An Evolving Life Series
For Herself Or For Him (This one)
Warm Seas.
An Evolving Life is a Hummingbird series in which Meryl Spiegel shares her journey to become the creative person that was hidden within herself for so long. Meryl chose this image, Warm Seas, from her SPLASH series, to represent An Evolving Life.
Editor's Note
I have had the good fortune of knowing Meryl Spiegel for many years. We met during my BNB days when she was referred to me as a resource for a specific type of photography I was searching for. I also knew her as a writer. Over the years, I have been impressed with Meryl’s talent and creativity, and the honesty of her work. When Meryl began to sketch, paint, work with pastels, she truly overlaid one talent on top of another. The layers were intriguing. I reached out to Meryl recently because I thought that the Hummingbird audience would appreciate her work, and value her process. They say that timing is everything, and in this case it was, because Meryl was thinking about not only “showing” her work, but writing about it too. In our new series, An Evolving Life, Meryl will share the stages, challenges, and meaning of her art, and the journey that coincides with the pieces she highlights. Sandra Novick
Link here to galleries of Meryl Spiegel's work on her website and on instagram.
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