Bears, Butterflies and the Power of the Feminine

What did you like the best at the zoo? "The bears, because they were right in front of us playing in the water, growling. They were so big and their teeth...." Surprisingly Paige proclaim, "The cows." Why? "I got to pet them." "Mom, you don't have to tell us what you liked the best. We already know." For which I replied, "I know, I LOVED the butterfly exhibit."

From bears to butterflies, a trip to the zoo yesterday, got me thinking about how power can be defined. The bear's power was one of physical dominance. The butterfly's power was one of captivating presence and attention they draw to our delicate life cycle. We need both types of power in certain measure, but power over others seems to dominate a bit too much these days, I feel.

Feminine does not refer to a gender, but rather the stereotypical traits seen in women; holistic approaches, presence and intuition. Here's how I visualize feminine power.

I awaken Saturday morning with a pile of dishes. Kids are about the house eating cereal and watching some television. I approach the chore of loading the dish washing and washing pots and pans with honor and presence, humming a tune and gazing out the window at some birds. I express my satisfaction in my dish doing accomplishment and smile.

Approaching the dishes as the means to getting on to the next thing would not demonstrate feminine power, but a conquering power as if we need to departmentalize every bit of our lives.

Feminine power has it place whether you're doing dishing, ruling a country or teaching children. You are invited to stand together for all women, fueling the the power of the feminine.

Some of the Best Years of my Life Returning

Sometimes we need to recall times that you were the most joyous and bring it to today. Being on a team of amazing "young" women, who worked hard, had fun and weren't afraid of being themselves is what I need more of these days. You know that feeling when you completely connect with the ball? Well I am just redefining the playing field, the ball and the bat.

Kim, Julie & Julia - What's the Point?

From the moment I saw the advertisement for the movie Julie and Julia I was fascinated and captivated. I saw the movie with my girlfriend Friday night. As the movie started I said, "Ok I'll pretend I am Julia Childs and you pretend you are Julie Powell." Sorry to say, but my friends and family will have to listen to me exclaiming, "Bone Appetite" for a few weeks to come. Its my goofball way of reminding myself that I am special.

Julia Childs? A master chef, an author, an artist, a woman, a wife, a sister, a daughter, a collaborator. Julie Powell? A New Yorker, a woman, a wife, a writer, a blogger, a cook, an author. Kim Lampe? A mother, a wife, a woman, a blogger, a friend, a collaborator, a dreamer, a lost soul, found over and over again, a hissing pussy cat, a seriously deep thinking goofball.

Julia got a book deal and her own television show. Julie finished her project, got a book deal and had a movie made about her journey to finding herself. Kim.... (is currently detained by that mom thing. Hang on, I'll be back in......?) Kim took out the garbage, gave some instructions to her daughter on the proper way of decluttering your room, of which does not include scattering your stuff into 3 other rooms including her brother's and parent's bedrooms. Kim looked at piles of dishes in her sink and piles of clothes, washed and not, feeling a bit self critical of her absent housekeeping skills of late, chased her son upstairs, put the left overs in the frig and put on her slippers because her feet were freezing.

Here's my point....

Even though there are books, movies and blogs about people, you never really see everything that entails someone's life. They give you a snippet here and a snippet there. It can make you feel as if they have something "special". Something you don't have.

Now I know what I am about to say is usually reserved for that "special" moment with that somebody who bore you from their loin, but here it goes, "You are special." Why not be committed to sharing that special with the whole world? Keeping it to yourself will surely drive you to insanity. Sharing her specialness is the only way Julia Childs could have shared Julia Childs with the world (you couldn't make up that stuff). Committing to finishing all 500 some recipes in Julia Childs french cookbook in 365 days and blogging about it is how Julie Powell committed to finding her temporarily lost specialness.

Kim Lampe knows she is sharing her specialness with the world when she is laughing, smiling or listening very attentively to somebody else. She's coming to know that when she feels lost she is on the right path. She has yet not to find her better self after a good wonder.

I didn't go to Julie and Julia to steal their special. I went to be inspired to believe that I could find my special with their help. Julia was committed to writing a cookbook on french cooking. It took her over 8 years to write and it was rejected before being published. Julie was committed to finishing her own personal project, with no motive of a book or a movie.

Be committed to your own specialness and respect other's as well. We're in this together ladies! Julie, Julia, Kim, Terry, Jan, Jill, Britni, Terry, Rosi, Karla, Kirsten....

* Kim needed some inspiration to write this post, so she put on the apron you see in the photo above. It took her back that moment when she was being herself (laughing, smiling). Writing about herself in the third person gives her that feeling that she has a published book and a movie about my, I mean her, life. HA!