Rich, On All the Levels in Everyday Ramblings

This is a picture from a few years back but taken on March 1st in my neighborhood. It is, other than my apartment, my favorite nearby place because when you come over the rise Mt. Hood, (if it is visible) is huge and stunningly beautiful. And there you have the ornamental cherry just coming into bloom.

If I were ever to make a movie, I would have this in a shot. This year because of the cold and rain the trees aren’t quite blooming yet. We are getting there though and everybody around me is ready for it to warm up and settle a bit. Kes and Most Honorable had snow yesterday. Not here, at least not so far.

I had a full week. Back to the dentist I had a crown prep that took an hour and a half and involved a lot of anesthetic and this new digital scanner thing instead of molds. Goodbye $1,200. Good thing I don’t have a car that needs repairs. My mouth is plenty enough. Next week I have what I hope is my last extraction.

There were two League meetings. Things are getting intense as we head towards November when we will have a new way of voting and decisions creating our new form of government. The budget prep is stressful for me because so many people care but only a couple understand it and I need to reach out for info and folks are busy and… it is kind of a mess. I am making progress, and as I learn things it will get easier. My mission is to leave this whole thing in way better shape than I found it in the next five years or so. But in the meantime; anxiety town.

Walt is back from Mexico. He wants a piece in the next few weeks about yoga for the guys in prison. The whys, the what-fors, and the benefits.

We have a board meeting next week, and we will be seeing about adding a couple of new members. These are wonderful people, but old like us, friends of Mr. Pedantic.

Speaking of Mr. Pedantic, I did meet with the guys this week. It was a small congenial group, seven of us. One other woman, Mr. Pedantic’s female friend. I participated a bit more than normal as it was a small group and somehow, I got involved in the opening conversational thread asking about a photo of a man making a knife in this shop here that hires ex-prisoners and makes beautifully crafted and expensive knives. One of us has a show coming up in a local gallery of photographs of local people working and had a variety of cards advertising the opening. I got that card after looking through the selection as I was going to share it with Most Honorable, who sharpens knives in his spare time.

I ended up giving that card to one of the painters who asked for it as I suspect he will paint something from it. We trade inspirations.

Anyway, towards the end of our time together the photographer asked me and the other woman out of the blue how it was for us to be in this ever so male group. Whoa baby.

I basically told them the truth. That participating was hard for me for various reasons. I referenced Mr. Pedantic, who was sitting about 8 inches away from me, and his comment from a few months back that he was unhappy that women were included because he felt he needed to act differently and wasn’t as relaxed as he would be just in the company of other men.

Rarely do I swear in public unless I am with intimates and only when I am angry and in my response, I said my whole life in a world of men I had to @#$%^& modify my behavior and welcome to my world! I didn’t say this but how hard is it to do that for an hour and a half or so a week compared to someone who has to do it all the time just to get along and be seen.

I also said many less inflammatory things and I stressed how important the group was to me and how I wouldn’t come if I didn’t feel like what we were doing wasn’t wonderful.

All, of them said, (except Mr. Pedantic, who wouldn’t make eye contact with me afterwards) out loud to the group one by one spontaneously how glad they were to have me in the group. I was quite moved by this. Still am.

And later that night I got a heartfelt email apology from the photographer, (he spent his professional career as a mediator) about putting me on the spot.

It was all very rich on a number of levels. Both ironic and sincere.

The guys have my back. And for that, I am grateful. Besides…I am most curious to see what unfolds next.

Last updated March 03, 2024