I was in my bathroom getting ready this morning, examining the silver hairs streaking through my locks and thinking about expectations. A lot of my friends (and one extremely close family member in particular whom I worship and adore) would look at me in this slowly-advancing state of salt-and-pepper and use the word, "hag." Besides the silvers (they're not grey, they're silver), my hair is probably a little too long. A little too frizzy. Oh, I could take the time to blow dry, grease it with Moroccan Oil, dye it back to its original monotone chestnut color, but I'm not sure I care. Anna Wintour says that any woman of a certain age should cut her hair above her shoulders. Hmmmm... yah, no.
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| thanks, DD, for a nice, demonstrative pic of my hag hair ;-) |
And then there's the cursing. Oh, the cursing.
I know there are social rules about cursing, but I still go back and forth on how I feel about it. Those who read my blog faithfully are familiar with my ease at dropping eff bombs. Writing for me is a passionate release, a focused meditation - and often times my fingers fly over the keyboard so quickly that I barely know what I'm writing until I'm done. If a few unclassified words end up in the mix, who am I to edit them?
Plus. In real life, I quite enjoy the eff word. I use it occasionally. Maybe too occasionally. But I don't place any verbal value on it, except as a non-verbal verbal that lets people know that I am flawed. (Though most wouldn't need four letter word to see that.)
And then there's always pressure to stifle the cursing in front of the kids. Tell me. When it comes to parenting, what is right? Apologize for letting "shit" escape in front of the kids? Don't apologize for letting "shit" escape in front of the kids. (Maybe they didn't notice???) Is hell a cuss or a place? Is ass a donkey or a bum? Is fart okay? What about penis and vagina? I think they're good. But not in school. Boobs? Butt? Shut up? How 'bout the modern alternative - Shut it? Is it okay that my 7 year old knows all the words to "I'm Sexy and I Know It"? Is it okay that my 5 year old sings "Red Solo Cup" and that I think it's kind of funny when she says, "And you, sir, do not have a pair of testicles if you prefer drinking from glasses." (I mean, she's almost 6, really, but that's still pretty bad, right?)
I actually spend time pondering the spiritual repercussions of cursing. Oh, yes, I do. I mean, it's about 49th on my list of priorities, squeaking in just after emptying my mom's dog's anal sacks, but the spiritual questions are there.
Is cursing an unmindful form of communication? Is cursing offensive? Yes, I suppose it is. But why? I guess I know why, but is it because God cares? When I splatter searing hot bacon grease on my bare arm and shout, "JESUS!" does Jesus give a shit, ahem, I mean give a damn, ahem, I mean give a rat's ass... oh whatever. You know what I mean. But really. Does he? And does he / He / HE care if I capitalize or not? Honestly, I'm thinking no. And if, by some small chance, I'm right and God doesn't care, why do some people care so much?
(Whew! Tangent.)
But, like I said, it's not just cursing, it's everything. There are hundreds of social norms that differ greatly from culture to culture. Wave with the back of your hand in Greece, cover your shoulders in Morocco, don't be American in England, take off your shoes upon entering a house in Japan, wear thongs on the beach and bikinis to the grocery store in Brazil, wash your poopy bum with a communal bar of soap but only with your right hand in India, don't write in red ink in China, stare at people past the point of awkwardness then let your dirty white lap dog eat off your plate in France. What is acceptable changes so vastly from country to country, it just makes me laugh. Because it's all so funny, isn't it? All these rules about living.
The rules in life are all so particular. And peculiar. Are these socially acceptable (and unacceptable) behaviors cast offs from religious orders?
Don't eat meat.
Don't eat meat with milk.
Don't eat meat with milk on Fridays before sunset on the fourth night of a Harvest Moon.
Sit cross-legged with your hands open on your lap.
Sit with your middle fingers touching your thumbs. No, your index fingers.
Don't sit. Lay down. Or stand up walk. Just shut up and be quiet.
Wear an orange robe and only an orange robe.
Shave your head. Let one piece grow. Let two curls grow. Let one long hair on your face grow.
Don't cut your hair. Don't cut your beard. Now hide it all in a turban.
Hide your hair, hide your shoulders, hide your ankles. You know what? Just hide your whole face.
Kneel down, stand up, cross yourself, repeat after me, say it again, say it again, one more time, say it again.
Eat this dry cracker.
Now return to your pew and continue with your dozing off.
Who made these rules anyway? (Men.) But seriously, who? (Old men.) Really, though. We judge others so harshly when they don't abide by the rules. Meanwhile, the most important rules are often ignored - BE KIND, BE PATIENT, BE HONEST, BE HERE NOW.
Well. Now that I have thought and pondered and assessed and analyzed the things we humans do and why we do the things we do, I have to go explain to my kids why they can't say "fart" in the classroom.
Peace, love, gratitude,
V
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