A Long Way from “An Education”
My excuse is predictable–I haven’t posted much lately because I’m working to meet my book deadlines. Life is too busy, too chaotic and unpredictable to stay in touch. Sound familiar?
Yet after watching the movie, An Education, I am grateful for my crazy, full life. It wasn’t too long ago women had so few options in life that marriage seemed like a good escape from a colorless future. Not that nursing or teaching would ever be bland jobs, but for a young girl with grand dreams, the sparse options felt like servitude.
So in this week of sharing what we are most grateful for, I want to add that I am thankful for my busy, chaotic and unpredictable life full of grand possibilities with every choice I make. I’m happy I have too much to do.
Are there still doors closed to women and roads made way too hard to navigate? Of course, but we still keep pushing through the heavy doors and maneuvering around the potholes.
The world is getting an education about what both men and women can do together when everyone is honored for the strengths and skills, not their gender, race or religion. In many parts of the world and even in my own neighborhood, it’s a slow education. Yet I predict that in another forty years we will be watching movies about today and musing on how backwards were people’s beliefs and actions.
Life is an education, isn’t it? What lesson are you grateful for learning today?
