On Babies

I'm writing this in response to a friend's blog post...perhaps to stimulate discussion more than anything else.

I'm speaking mostly about the pressure mormon women feel in general from the *culture* of mormonism...which really is nothing like the *gospel* of mormonism.

Isn't it interesting how so many people feel the "invisible hand" of the mormon culture in their lives (if, of course they are privy to be aware of that in the first place)?  We feel we have to be perfect, and to be perfect entails a myriad of unattainable things, in full.  Let me just name a few for you: we have to be well educated, beautiful, able to cook; we must want to be married, have perfect children, and be a housewife; we must be well versed in all gospel principles, seek out being a relief society president, love to sing; we must not seek a career outside the home unless absolutely necessary, we must love scrap booking, baking, cleaning up barf--all the while having perfectly coiffed hair and makeup.

Obviously, the pressure is on if you are a mormon woman who allows herself to be mislead by all of these so-called "demands."  Even if you are not a mormon woman...the pressure on our sex--put there by the men in and out of our lives, but more importantly (and questionably) by ourselves--to be these perfect, ideal people is so stifling and suffocating to the beautiful potential we all have innately in us.

Is it not enough to simply do what you love to do and become good at it?  Is it not enough to be a woman, tried and true?  Is it not enough to find out what you are passionate about and to do it?

It's funny...there are things all of us must sacrifice.  For some it is that career we always dreamed of having.  For others it's having the white picket fence and the adorable rosy little faces gleaming at you.

Isn't it even more funny that it always seems like we don't have what we think we want?  Like we're always waiting for something else to happen...for something better to come?  I know God has a plan for each one of us...and he's working in the framework of our lives.

What is wrong with us?  Why can't we be satisfied with who we truly, innately are?  Satisfied with our individual talents, our individual bodies, our individual accomplishments?  I am just as guilty of this as any of you are...

I am so tired of waiting for the day when both Pauler and I are done with undergraduate school.  I am so tired of waiting for babies to finally come.  I am so tired of wishing I could be more this or do more that.

Women, if we can never be satisfied with who we are right now, we will inevitably destroy ourselves.  And then we will be no good for anyone...

okay.  off my soap box.