My boyfriend, Rodney, and I went to see the movie Enchanted today, along with my sister and brother-in-law, and my best friends Mike and Jen.
Now if anyone knows anything about me they will know that the "fairly tale" romance has been a lifelong friend of mine. I am a girl, after all, and grew up on the Disney classics like Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and The Little Mermaid, to name a few.
One other thing that most people know about me is that it has been a lifelong DREAM of mine for the world to burst out in spontaneous, and choreographed, song. Having grown up in the world of music, theatre, and musical theatre, and having a romantic heart, the urge to burst out into spontaneous song is something I've had to stifle many times whilst in public.
My best friend Jen and I have constantly nurtured this particular character train within each other. She and I have been singing together since grade five, often performing concerts for ourselves with home-made microphones (constructed of toilet paper tubes, old light bulbs, black socks and electrical tape) off of Jen's balcony. We were sensations and coveted the accolades of our many many fans (which often took the shape of stuffed animals, or our own imaginations, but occasionally of real human beings). Whatever the occasion, whatever the moment, Jen and I could find a song that would fit it perfectly. It was not uncommon for us to burst into song right in the middle of a normal conversation with each other... and occasionally with others. This "song banter" would continue until we either crumpled into hysterical laughter, or succumbed to the weird glances from our family and/or friends (or strangers).
I would be lying if I said that this trait has been "adulted" out of us at the ripe old age of 24. Alas, this particular element of our child-like hearts has been left unhindered by the ravages of time and 'maturity.' It often only takes a glance to set one or both of us off into sweet lyrical mania while the rest of the world contentedly trudges on with 'normal' verbal communication.
Needless to say that after the viewing of Enchanted (which is a brilliant movie, by the way. A new classic that makes me once again proud to have grown up in the classic Disney era) the evening was filled with spontaneous song and laughter. Even the men joined in on occasion.
While I am not silly enough to believe that the world, or even my immediate neighbourhood, will ever burst into perfectly choreographed song and dance, I can't help but feel that it would do the world good to experience the joy and simple FUN of a nice musical moment. I think if more people saw the world in terms of melodies and movements there would be a lot less stress in the lives of the everyday person.
So the next time you feel the urge to burst into song creep into your heart... take a chance. Hum a little tune. Or, if you feel brave enough, sing at the top of your lungs and let the music carry you away to that romantic little world that still hides inside the heart of every girl, no matter how long it has been since the idea of Prince Charming (or Edward, in the case of Enchanted) was smushed out of your heart by that blasted thing called 'reality.'
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Welcome!
Welcome to my little literary oasis!
To everyone who has taken a moment to come and visit me on this, my inaugural blog post, I thank you. I've been toying with this idea for quite some time now, and I'm quite excited to finally be among the Blogger's out there.
Let me introduce myself. My name is Sarah, and I am a 24 year old Canadian woman. I chose the name "Barefoot Sarah" for two very distinct reasons. The first being that I hate wearing shoes, and sincerely despise socks. If I had the choice, I would go barefoot all year round. Unfortunately, the lovely Canadian weather does not allow for that luxury most of the time, so I protest my distaste of footwear in the only way I can... on a blog.
Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, the term "Barefoot and Pregnant" is a title I have always longed to apply to myself. I am a bit of a traditional girl. While I have the utmost respect for women who choose the career path, and for those women who are energetic enough to both raise a family and work, that has never been my dream. The desire of my heart has always been to be the loving wife and mother of a family. Supper on the table. Keeping a clean, safe, and environmentally friendly home. Teaching my children to be respectful, polite, and exemplifying what love is through my relationships with them and their father. A "stay-at-home-mom" in the purest sense of the word.
Some of you may be surprised at the amount of backlash I have encountered in my life because of this desire. I will never forget my second year of college. In our career planning class we were asked to make a collage for where we hoped we would be in life in 5 years and in 10 years. I was 18 at the time, and stated that in 5 years I hoped to be married, and in 10 years be done having kids. Hopefully 4 or 5 of them. I put that I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, and that I really had no aspirations to enter the workforce in the consumerist sense.
Immediately after giving my presentation I had about a dozen pairs of female eyes burning holes through my collage. "Don't you have any respect for yourself as a woman?," one classmate asked. "If you do that, you will be destroying everything that the Women's Liberation act has fought to achieve!!" Echoes of agreement were uttered by every girl in the class. I was floored.
How can any woman possibly think that the task of raising children, of growing up the next generation, is a disrespectful service to womankind? I thought that the Suffrage movement, and Women's liberation were to give women choice! Does that choice not also include those of us who want to choose to be mom's? Or should Women's Liberation really have been dubbed "You can choose, as long as you choose to have a career!"?
Please don't get me wrong. I am so thankful for the freedom's I now possess as a women as a result of the brave actions of the women who came before me. I am proud to be a woman. I am proud to have a brain and have the ability to use it. I just don't buy into the idea that to be a mom I have to surrender my brain at the door. I can think of no more noble act, no more important of a career, than to love and raise a family.
If anyone disagrees with me, they are welcome to do so, and I welcome discussion on this topic. I really believe that we as women have taken our freedom too far. It is no longer about equality for many women, it is about domination.
I am glad to say that I have seen a resurgence of the desire to raise a family in many women around my age. We are learning that laws and the government cannot solve the problems in society. Only the family has the true power to bring about change. Mom's and dad's instilling values into their children every day by living lives of example.
Now, I'm not a mom. I'm not even married. I know that being a stay-at-home mom isn't going to be all smiles and giggles. It's tough work. It's messy work. And it's tiring work. But it is WORTH-it work. This is one of the strongest convictions that I hold.
Well, that's it for my first post. I figured I should lay that out on the table right away, and if any of you choose to come visit me again, great. My next post will likely not be quite so politically charged.
Thanks for coming to visit, and remember to take your shoes off every now and then.
Blessings.
To everyone who has taken a moment to come and visit me on this, my inaugural blog post, I thank you. I've been toying with this idea for quite some time now, and I'm quite excited to finally be among the Blogger's out there.
Let me introduce myself. My name is Sarah, and I am a 24 year old Canadian woman. I chose the name "Barefoot Sarah" for two very distinct reasons. The first being that I hate wearing shoes, and sincerely despise socks. If I had the choice, I would go barefoot all year round. Unfortunately, the lovely Canadian weather does not allow for that luxury most of the time, so I protest my distaste of footwear in the only way I can... on a blog.
Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, the term "Barefoot and Pregnant" is a title I have always longed to apply to myself. I am a bit of a traditional girl. While I have the utmost respect for women who choose the career path, and for those women who are energetic enough to both raise a family and work, that has never been my dream. The desire of my heart has always been to be the loving wife and mother of a family. Supper on the table. Keeping a clean, safe, and environmentally friendly home. Teaching my children to be respectful, polite, and exemplifying what love is through my relationships with them and their father. A "stay-at-home-mom" in the purest sense of the word.
Some of you may be surprised at the amount of backlash I have encountered in my life because of this desire. I will never forget my second year of college. In our career planning class we were asked to make a collage for where we hoped we would be in life in 5 years and in 10 years. I was 18 at the time, and stated that in 5 years I hoped to be married, and in 10 years be done having kids. Hopefully 4 or 5 of them. I put that I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, and that I really had no aspirations to enter the workforce in the consumerist sense.
Immediately after giving my presentation I had about a dozen pairs of female eyes burning holes through my collage. "Don't you have any respect for yourself as a woman?," one classmate asked. "If you do that, you will be destroying everything that the Women's Liberation act has fought to achieve!!" Echoes of agreement were uttered by every girl in the class. I was floored.
How can any woman possibly think that the task of raising children, of growing up the next generation, is a disrespectful service to womankind? I thought that the Suffrage movement, and Women's liberation were to give women choice! Does that choice not also include those of us who want to choose to be mom's? Or should Women's Liberation really have been dubbed "You can choose, as long as you choose to have a career!"?
Please don't get me wrong. I am so thankful for the freedom's I now possess as a women as a result of the brave actions of the women who came before me. I am proud to be a woman. I am proud to have a brain and have the ability to use it. I just don't buy into the idea that to be a mom I have to surrender my brain at the door. I can think of no more noble act, no more important of a career, than to love and raise a family.
If anyone disagrees with me, they are welcome to do so, and I welcome discussion on this topic. I really believe that we as women have taken our freedom too far. It is no longer about equality for many women, it is about domination.
I am glad to say that I have seen a resurgence of the desire to raise a family in many women around my age. We are learning that laws and the government cannot solve the problems in society. Only the family has the true power to bring about change. Mom's and dad's instilling values into their children every day by living lives of example.
Now, I'm not a mom. I'm not even married. I know that being a stay-at-home mom isn't going to be all smiles and giggles. It's tough work. It's messy work. And it's tiring work. But it is WORTH-it work. This is one of the strongest convictions that I hold.
Well, that's it for my first post. I figured I should lay that out on the table right away, and if any of you choose to come visit me again, great. My next post will likely not be quite so politically charged.
Thanks for coming to visit, and remember to take your shoes off every now and then.
Blessings.
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