Friday, November 5, 2010

Practically Speaking

Writing is a good way for me to search deep inside and figure out exactly who I am.

I thought that in writing about my non-womanly likes (and dislikes) would help me to stop comparing myself to other women who do enjoy crafts, baking, and romantic stuff.  Honestly, I compare myself to these highly talented women quite frequently.  It's time that I recognize that though I have different interests, I am not less girly.

It worked.

In connection with this, writing out my thoughts also forced me to look at the logical side behind my words.   Since I am a very practical person, there usually is one.

For instance, my aversion to baking isn't necessarily that baking isn't fun, it's that baking requires too many dishes and too much of my attention.  With little ones running around my feet (or hanging on my pants screaming), I can't devote that much time to one item.  Also, as the resident dishwasher (literally we have no dishwasher), thinking about washing those dishes later in the evening is quite undesirable.  Especially if I want to make an edible dinner for my kids at some point before bedtime.

As for crafts?  They probably are fun, but my hands are so dry--no matter how much lotion I rub on them--that the very thought of touching paper screams paper cuts.  Cringe.  Even sewing and painting require me to be near textures that make my hands shrivel up in fear (and dryness).

(Romance is a topic of an entirely different post.  Though I will say this, it's all my father's fault.)

Just goes to show, you learn something new about yourself when you take the time to investigate.

15 comments:

  1. I put lotion on my hands at least 5 times a day. And it seems like it doesn't do a darn thing, I hate it. If Missouri works out thought, you won't have that problem anymore with the humidity!!



    It's SO hard not to compare. At least for me - but I like that phrase "different interests". Because it's true, no woman is the same, we all have some sort of different interests.

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  2. I completely relate to what you say about baking. I think one of the reasons I do like baking is that I only do it rarely, when my husband is home and watching the kids. Because it is a rare independent treat, I think of it as almost a meditation vacation.

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  3. Ha! I will be waiting for that other post!

    Motherhood is as womanly as it gets - and for all the stereotypes, it's not about baking or sewing or (I hope I hope I hope) perfect housekeeping.

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  4. This is the sort of post that makes me really enjoy blogging. I find it refreshing to think out loud and "discover" these simple things about ourselves in this manner.



    I like baking and I like cooking. But I abhor the cleanup. Just hate doing dishes.

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  5. I think that's why I like blogging, too. Whenever I write and think I learn more about myself.



    (I have very dry skin, too ; )

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  6. Martha Stewart has been a godsend. She has all those premade crafty things that you just basically have to glue together. So I can still get my cute fix, without being creative or spending a lot of time.

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  7. Writing it down, writing it out... it's a great way to think out loud. Quietly.



    :)

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  8. Dry hands and knitting suck too. You have to be rather dedicated or addicted to lotion to carry on with it.



    And yay for writing through the little things that bother us ;)

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  9. Recently when talking to my husband I asked him what had attracted him to me and he said one of the things that most attracted him was that I am not girlie. He meant not girlie as in bursting into tears and getting all emotional over everything, but I am so not girlie in so many ways. Sewing, knitting, decorating, arts and crafts? SO not me. I can cook and bake well, but only enjoy doing so when I have plenty of uninterrupted time to do so, which means these days I don't, but then my daughter would not eat anything fancy I made anyway.



    So - you are not alone and yes, writing about things really does help, especially when you discover you are not alone :-)

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  10. I don't like baking or cooking or crafting or sewing. The only thing I can think of, hobbywise, that I really do like is blogging. Go figure. I do appreciate a good romance movie, sometimes, but reading it in book form seems like torture.

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  11. I know what you mean about baking. Since having the 2nd child, there is just too much chaos and my reflexes are just not what they used to be. I don't bake as much simply out of fear that another child will have a nasty burn. I could bake at night, but night time is for (trying to) sleep :).

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  12. There is no traditionally female activity that relaxes me. I enjoy crafting, but I break out in hives thinking about how to find the time, a clean space, someone to keep the kids busy, and then finding more time to clean up after. I'm good at things that aren't traditionally female activities, and that's okay. We don't have to justify it.

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  13. It's funny what we discover when we write things down. It has revealed several things about me, some things I knew, others a surprise.

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  14. Yes, the dishes required for baking. Such a mess! I go nuts and bake every once in a while, but I always regret the dishes...

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  15. I love baking, but I hate the mess. But hey, pumpkin muffins count as a healthy dinner. ... Right?

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