Make some noise!

One of my favorite books as a child was Maurice Sendak's "WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE;" I read it often and grew comfortable with the monsters. Of course a key refrain in that book is "Let the wild rumpus begin!" What kid doesn't like a little bit of rumpus?

It should come as no shock to anyone that I'm a loud person. I think one of the reasons children like me is the fact that I'm loud and extreme and prone to zaniness. I think children benefit from time and space to just go a little crazy --- to run and shout and tumble and rumble.

I visited the annual Pittsburgh Children's Festival this week and was drawn to one particular play place. Someone had strung up in varying heights and locations pans, pots, plastic bowling pins of bright colors, tubing, metal objects, etc. Kids were invited to select a plastic stick and proceed to "play" (read bang, smack, hit...) the variety of objects. The noise could be heard around the park! The banging was matched in loudness by the shrieks and shouts and laughter of the chlidren expressing their musical selves....it was indeed a wild rumpus!

I shared this experience with a colleague and she exclaimed, "What a great idea! You know they should have something like that in schools, on playgrounds; infact, we should have one in offices!"

Definitely. We all need space and time to release, to shout, to make some noise, to get what needs out...out.

Assignment for this week: Get out and make some noise!

ROAR!!!

One of the quirks of my father was how he pronounced the word, “women;” he said it as “wee men.” Charming.

Although the pronunciation never changed, my father’s attitude towards women was healthy. He encouraged all of his children to get an education, he supported and cheered his youngest daughter in breaking the gender barrier to play “Little League” baseball and was a regular at the games, and he raised his daughters to be strong, independent, and resourceful.

I read that today was when suffragettes, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony formed the “National Woman Suffrage Association” in 1869. It has always amazed me that the work for women’s equality in this country began in earnest in the 19th Century. Consider that 1920, when women gained the right to vote, in the large scope of things really isn’t that long ago.

All this leads to the big question of what has brought about the current backlash against women being evidenced in archaic, invasive and patriarchal legislation impacting women’s health care and the Pope’s attack on American Women Religious. It’s enough to set blaze to bras and to join the cause of women’s equality!

I am of the age when I clearly remember significant “women firsts” --- Janet Guthrie, first woman to drive in the Indy 500; Sandra Day O’Connor, first woman on the US Supreme Court; Geraldine Ferraro, first woman Vice Presidential candidate; Sally Ride, first woman astronaut. Being clergy in a still heavily dominated male field, I can tell stories of misogynistic treatment such as having my office be referred to as the “witch’s broom closet” and being asked by a male congregational leader not to wear my white alb because it reminded him of a nightie.

With the wired-in and 24/7 news coverage, women in the millennial generation have grown up seeing women in key leadership positions and running and holding political office. However, they seem to miss the fact that percentage wise women have still not even come close to anything even resembling fair and balanced representation in terms of leadership in Fortune 500 companies and political office. The ladies of this generation mistakenly feel that women have made it and the marches and movements around the ERA were of the past……….you know, way back in the ‘70’s…..sigh…..

In the high-time of my feminist activism (and perhaps that needs to rise again) we had found and purchased roles of purple stickers imprinted with the words, “This insults women.” Imagine where women could place these stickers today.

sj:

A FORCE to be reckoned with

Today, 14 May, is the birthday of George Lucas, the creative genius behind one of the most successful movie franchises of all time....STAR WARS.

When it debuted in 1977, the film ushered in the movie blockbuster and the movie merchandise boom --- who of us of a certain age knew at least one kid who had a "Millenium Falcon" model or toy?

STAR WARS was a movie experience that from the opening theme sucked you into that "galaxay far, far away" and held you until the implosion of the "Death Star." I remember going to the movie with my brothers and on the drive home pretending the car was an "X-Wing" fighter complete with our somewhat limited sound effects of "woosh" and "tat-a-tat-tat." Rest assured we kept the Freeport universe safe from the Empire. We were also quite skilled in using wiffle-ball bats to serve as our light sabers complete, of course, with the "wwooww" sound.

For me, the first three STAR WARS movies (which we later would be informed were actually the final three movies of the series...sigh...)remain some of the greates movies ever in the life of kids, adolescents and adults. Those films had all the characteristics of great movies: the classic battle between good and evil; memorable characters (at this very moment sitting on my desk is a plastic Yoda figurine complete with light saber); a classic movie score; for their time, excellent special effects; and the ability to transport you into another universe (literally).

Happy Birthday, George Lucas and thanks for the movies that remain all-time favorites! In my opinion, the STAR WARS original trilogy (I'm not sure about the most recent threesome) ranks up there with the "LORD OF THE RINGS" and "HARRY POTTER" film franchises as super cinematic experiences!

sj;