Long hair and handkerchiefs
My nan for most of her life had long hair and a handkerchief in her bag at all times. She wasn’t Audrey but she was a lady – there was no question about that.
Cooking, knitting and the art of being a good hostess were areas undoubtedly she reigned supreme over. Oh yeah, she was also a mean bowler!
In my time, the feminist wave kicked in where these finer skills weren’t always looked upon with the same regard in her day. What a shame. Because I learnt far more from my nan about being a woman than Naomi Wolf could ever teach me.
My nan taught me there is no shame in standing by your man. Even better she stuck by him when sometimes his argument had a few leaky holes.
She also showed me that a cheeky wit can take you a lot further than a feisty tongue. Your point will always have a lot more resonance if it’s delivered under the veil of humour and insight.
And leading by example (moving to the other side of the world), she fostered an adventurous spirit in me. So just like they say: behind every good man is a good woman – behind every strong, independent woman there’s a generation of women behind her that have compassionately paved the way.
For that, I owe my nan. So this is not about her going, it is about promising to live up to the potential she saw in all of us.
Oh, and please indulge her and carry a handkerchief with you wherever you go.
Cooking, knitting and the art of being a good hostess were areas undoubtedly she reigned supreme over. Oh yeah, she was also a mean bowler!
In my time, the feminist wave kicked in where these finer skills weren’t always looked upon with the same regard in her day. What a shame. Because I learnt far more from my nan about being a woman than Naomi Wolf could ever teach me.
My nan taught me there is no shame in standing by your man. Even better she stuck by him when sometimes his argument had a few leaky holes.
She also showed me that a cheeky wit can take you a lot further than a feisty tongue. Your point will always have a lot more resonance if it’s delivered under the veil of humour and insight.
And leading by example (moving to the other side of the world), she fostered an adventurous spirit in me. So just like they say: behind every good man is a good woman – behind every strong, independent woman there’s a generation of women behind her that have compassionately paved the way.
For that, I owe my nan. So this is not about her going, it is about promising to live up to the potential she saw in all of us.
Oh, and please indulge her and carry a handkerchief with you wherever you go.
posted by Zap at
4:16 pm
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