3. She Loves Being a Woman

The bond of womanhood is special.

It seems like the older I get the more sweet and satisfying the bond of womanhood becomes. I have found the last couple of years to be especially refreshing and welcoming in my life. I believe it's because women get more and more beautiful as time passes.

I have a close group of girlfriends that I have been best friends with since high school, now going on well over a decade. While I have always loved them and enjoyed their company, I now TREASURE the times we get to spend together. I will often remark quietly to myself about how amazing these ladies have turned out, a decade of adult life looks goooood on them. They still can make me laugh harder than any other humans I know, and I love basking in their womanly goodness.

These crazy goofy friends of mine, that I used to drive around with in high school causing mischief, now have baking tips to impart, gardening skills to share, wise relationship advice, tricks to help with morning sickness, and they are quick to lend out anything from their homes.

Priorities seem to have shifted. Time is valuable, doing trendy things is not. Nobody is trying to prove anything, we all seem comfortable in our own skin. They seem to think less of themselves, and see people around them more.

I've been thinking about writing this post for a while now, and every time I have pondered the question "what do I love about being a woman?" I felt sort of stumped. I do love being a woman, but what does loving being a woman mean? It's a hard/weird question to ask yourself, though every time I did ask, I found myself instinctively sitting up a little straighter and lifting my head a little higher. It does give me a sense of pride to be a woman... but what do I love about being a woman?

I texted my three girlfriends, Amanda, Natalie, and Mary... on our continuous texting conversation, titled "The Ladies"...

Me (to The Ladies): What do you guys love about being a woman?

Natalie (who is currently pregnant with twins) responds: "Don't ask me that question right now. I'm still pregnant and ornery. Right now I like nothing. Unless you count the fact that my body can make two babies at once!"

Amanda texted: "I'm still helping with homework, doing the bedtime routine and was just informed I'm providing a fourth grade class with salt dough tomorrow, so let me write back a real answer in a few..."

Mary first texted that her favorite things were breasts, periods, and sexual harassment in the workplace. She then tells us that she's down in southern utah playing hearts with her mom and dad. "And my peach cobbler just came out of the oven. With my bottled peaches."

I love all of this so much. I love that women are busy creating things... structured homes, yummy food, jokes, happy moments, and human life.

Mary ended up texting later, "I love being a woman! I used to wish I was a man. But I love being dainty and still being able to rough it when needed. I love that I can feel cute when I want and I love having feelings of kindness or compassion for other people a little differently than men do. And I think being able to reproduce and feed your child is pretty incredible."

Amanda, "Frankly, I think I'm a way better woman than I could ever hack it as a man. I'm plenty smart, savvy, brave, confident and capable, but rather, due to my quirky nature, I think it's easier to be a quirky woman. Being a woman allows me to feel like I have more freedom to live colorfully and creatively. I think that's harder for a man- I think the boxes are much more rigid for them. Think of all the different kinds of women you know- there are bundles! But think of men and I feel like the categories of "acceptable" are considerably smaller. Maybe this is all the way I justify my weirdness? But I feel like being a woman allows me a freedom of self-expression that I don't think I'd have as a man. I think if I was a man, my quirkiness would be seen as especially strange and possibly menacing. I guess if there is anything that really makes me love being a woman it is that I feel confident in being whatever kind of women I want to be. ---I don't mean this is to be a man vs. woman thing but rather something especially special about womanhood."

Nicely put, ladies.

For me, this bond of womanhood is my favorite aspect of being a woman. I am lucky that it grows stronger and more golden with all the girls I know... my sisters, my mom, old mission companions, old roommates, my friend's wives, my friend's moms, cousins, aunts, and ladies from church. I feel blessed to learn from all these proper mountain women.

Not only does my posture improve as I think about all of this, but I notice more the way my body moves, the way my fingers type across my keyboard, and the way I talk to people. I love the grace of women, their ability to create, and their awareness of people.

I love that a proper mountain woman can do anything she sets her mind to. A woman who is brave and climbs the mountains of life... and embraces her divine womanly gifts... is a beauty to behold.

SHE LOVES BEING A WOMAN.