Girls Aren't Supposed To

This is going to show my age. But I think that's okay because I've seen some really cool things happen for women over my almost 56 years of life. 

In light of the "me too" movement, and all of the talk about equal pay, and a woman running for President, and a female talk show host who has changed the world for many of us, I think it's time to talk about the "Girls Aren't Supposed To" club. 

I am a solid member. Not by choice, but by being born into it. Here's what I grew up in:

1. Girls don't wear jeans. 
2. Girls don't dance (it causes pregnancy, you know).
3. Girls don't stand up for their rights.
4. Girls don't HAVE rights.
5. Stay in the kitchen. Do your dancing in there. 
6. Girls don't drive. 
7. Girls especially don't drive trucks. 
8. Girls don't drive trucks and then drive them fast. 
9. Girls don't go to college. They get married.
10. Girls don't have big dreams. They stay home. 

I didn't wear jeans-or even put a pair on until I was living in the wilderness with my grandmother in 6th grade. I wore polyester floor length skirts to school. I didn't even wear polyester pants until 8th grade. I remember thinking how crazy it was that I lived in a state where girls wore pants to school! My first pair of jeans came from my fiancé as a senior in high school. I got to wear those to school. 

I didn't attend school dances. EVER. That pregnancy thing that you may have heard people joking about was a real argument when I was growing up. I was the daughter of a Nazarene pastor and it was very unbecoming for a young lady to move her body to music. Oh, and music was highly controlled, too. 

I didn't really have rights growing up. What my father said was what went and there were no two ways about it. It was what he truly believed was right. It took a long time for me to realize that I wasn't bad for being an independent thinker by nature. I was just misunderstood. Ahead of my time. 

Here is one of the things that I learned about God. He is good. He will grant the desires of our hearts if they line up with him. David danced. NAKED. In the streets! Do I dance in the kitchen? Yes! And it never once has produced a baby in my belly. I figured out where they came from and dancing had nothing to do with it. In 2009 I became a certified dance fitness instructor. My desire to dance? Fulfilled! I am buying some wall art that says "My kitchen is for dancing." I'm such a rebel. 

I was 18 years old when I finally got my driver's license. I drove cars. I didn't have my own until I was 21. When I was in college--just a few years ago, mind you, I got a Chevy K500 Blazer. I like listening to B52's when I'm driving. But every time I do....not kidding, EVERY time I do, I get a ticket. I like to go fast. In boy trucks. I drive a car now. With cruise control. If I get any more tickets I have to go to bad kid school. 

I got married. THREE TIMES. Failed at all of them. Some girls should NOT get married. God is so forgiving and gracious. My graduation present from high school was my wedding ring. I wanted to go to college. I wanted to be a writer! I finally did go to college. In February 2016, at 52 years old, I earned my Bachelor's degree. And guess what? I'm a writer.

I've ALWAYS been a big dreamer. This vision board represents what has been a pretty big dream for a very long time. 

©CherieElainePhotography2019

I love photography and art and music and words and the mountains. I'm going to put them all together and open an art gallery that celebrates art in all of its wondrous elements. I'm a girl dreamin' a big dream and going to make it happen. 

More "God gives you the desires of your heart": I wanted to be a professional musician. I thought that meant being in a rock and roll band or singing with John Denver for the longest time. What it meant in reality was that I got to play violin in a symphony. I sang as an adult in the Longmont Chorale. I started Joyful Noise, a children's choir. And I became a successful music teacher, writing curriculum called Melody Moppets.   

I've been a professional photographer for 20 years. I've got beautiful photographs hanging on walls in homes, offices, galleries, etc. I wanted to work for National Geographic and many of the choices I've made in the past 20 years have been a reflection of that. I have declined to continue on that course because the art gallery makes so much more sense to me. I've been a gypsy for long enough. I want to settle down in the mountains and do what this girl is supposed to do. I'm going to support artists. 

If this is the one gift I can give my three daughters, it is this: THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO. One daughter has two college degrees. One is a up and coming novelist. One is a director of guest services at her job. They are girls who DO. I'm so proud of them. 

This is my gift for you, too. 

I'm turning in my club card for the Girls Aren't Supposed To Club. Because yes we are. In all of our beauty and strength, Girls, WE ARE!