• Aug. 11, 2006
Friday's Fables: Stay-at-Home Mom Style
The Tortoise and the Eagle
Trudy Tortoise lay in the dirt, complaining to the eagles flying above her. "You flyers have quite the life, don't you? I just don't think it's fair. You're up there floating in the clouds, living high on life, and I'm down here with dust up my nose and rocks under my feet. Oh, how I wish I could fly! If one of you would only teach me, I know life would be just perfect."
Ellie Eagle, hovering nearby crooned, "If I teach you to fly, what's in it for me?"
Trudy said, "I'm rich, and I'll trade half of my gold for your flying lessons."
"It's a deal," shouted Ellie. "Prepare for takeoff!" Ellie said as she hooked her talons onto Trudy's shell and pumped her wings up and down. The pair was high in the sky, far up in the clouds, when Ellie let go of Trudy.
Trudy closed her eyes, savoring the wind whistling in her ears. She excitedly exclaimed, "I'm finally flying!"
"We eagles call that falling," answered Ellie.
Trudy's eyes opened wide with shock as she saw the jagged rocks looming below her. "Landing lessons! I'll give you the rest of my gold for landing lessons!"
MORAL: Be careful what you wish for.
Stay-at-Home Connection
Sometimes I feel like Trudy Tortoise, like I'm at home here, wallowing among the dirt and the muck of cooking and cleaning, while some women I know that work out of the home seem to be flying high. As I'm throwing together lunch for the kiddos and me, I imagine working women having lunch out at my favorite restaurant, talking and laughing, and having adult conversations with fellow friends. I imagine them getting groceries and going to doctor's and dentist's appointments all by themselves, and I feel a little bit like I'm just the tortoise plodding through life in the trenches.
When I begin to have those thoughts, I make myself remember the other side of working women's lives. I say "remember" because I had about 9 months of working as a job-share teacher after my first son was born. Maybe some working women really are flying high with the eagles most days. But, I'd be willing to bet that a good portion of working women that are mothers feel like I did when I was working... and that's guilty. Guilty about not spending enough time with their kids, guilty about not spending enough time with their hubbie, and guilty about how they gave the best of themselves to their jobs instead of their families. Those are NOT soaring feelings.
We might very well be like the tortoise in this fable if we choose to become working women in the hopes of being more "free" like the eagle. Instead of a freeing feeling, I'd venture to say it'd be more like a "falling" feeling with no hope of landing safely in sight. And the gold we have, the riches we have, well they're our children, and they're not worth losing to flying lessons. So, this tortoise is going pick herself up, count her "gold", and leave flying lessons for some other eagle.
Comments
• Aug. 12, 2006
Great analogy!
Posted by Anonymous
I totally agree...there's a false impression, a lure out there, a lie! That we can "have it all." But it's an illusion we can't be decieved into falling for! Great story/fable. And of course I'm happy to have your friend status! I already friended you! Enjoy blogging! It's fun!
Christa
