One of my English women’s magazines has an article entitled “don’t say I can’t” which is usually about some 40-something deciding to take another job, go into another field, do something unusual like jumping off a cliff, etc.
The general gist is that simply because she is a woman and perhaps past her prime according to many, there is no reason why she can’t start a new life, take up a new hobby or job, go somewhere she’s never been and the like.
For me it is usually connected to that idiot phrase “you’re a women, so you shouldn’t….” and I am sure that all my female friends can find plenty of endings to that phrase!
Living alone I occasionally try and line up “heavy” jobs for my younger son, but inevitably he is either traveling or I forgot to ask and something needs to go out, etc. Sometimes I can wait until Friday and enlist the help of my cleaning lady: another woman who does more “manly” things than is deemed appropriate. Between the two of us we have moved heavy stones, unplugged drains, tossed out beds – whatever needs to be done.
On my own I have been known to put an entire sofa out on the curb for pickup on the cumbersome objects day, which we enjoy once a month (flip over, roll end to end depending upon the piece or simply drag). In short I can do a lot without having to enlist the help of that stronger male.
Latest to date? I arrived a one of my local department stores and noticed that amongst the decoration things that they were selling at very good prices was an iron bench. Perfect for the garden I thought. OK only have my small Polo but it looked like it would fit (I also can estimated sizes and volumes rather well!) so I bought it, moved the car down to the floor that it was on and dragged it the twenty meters or so. Getting it into the car (it fit perfectly once I had both seats down with a few centimeters to spare) was more leveraging it up and in.
And so it goes – one does what one needs to, male or female!
