
The other day I saw a card that said something about telling people that your super woman cape was in the dryer. I’ve been thinking about that card a lot. I mean it was this sarcastic, in your face, kind of humor that sometimes we all need to be equipped with. To be quite honest, there are times I wish I pushed around a cart full of cards so that when someone said something to me I could just hand them the appropriate card with the appropriate saying and just move on without having to waste any of my own oxygen supply. That’s another story for another day because today I want to talk about the capes we all wear.
Now before I delve real deep into this please know that this is not a “women unite” kind of post but I am directing this at the females out there although it can and does pertain to men too (although they don’t seem to have some of the cattiness that we females do). During my life I have worn the cape of daughter, wife, abuse survivor, lover, employee, artist, caregiver, friend, sister, aunt, granddaughter, daughter….you get the picture here. Now these capes are a versatile thing. They are interchangeable, tradeable (as in wife could become ex-wife, friend to ex-friend, etc.), can be worn together or separate, some are tough like thick canvas and others are frail like strands of well-worn silk and these capes are invisible. Nobody knows what cape or set of capes we are wearing on any given day or, for that matter, at any given moment. I can’t look at you and see that your cape is as light as a breeze and blowing in the wind or that you are burdened down under layers and layers of them.
What I can know is that you are wearing at least one cape and I can also bet, with a good bit of certainty, that that you are wearing multiple capes. I can also be very assured that I don’t know what all of these capes may be. Let’s look at my friend Kecia she is a woman, daughter, friend, sister, mother, wife, granddaughter, care-giver, aunt, artist, teacher, studio owner, gardener, bargain hunter extraordinaire, traveler, design artist, cook, bookkeeper, etsy shop owner. Now I can look at this list (17 capes by the way) and know without one doubt that I am missing something and it may even be something I know about her or her life but there are those things that I don’t know too . Now imagine the responsibility that goes along with each of those capes.
WOW! When you look at things like that how much more respect will you have for the people that enter into your life? How much more tolerant would you be if you took into consideration the number of capes that person may be wearing at the moment you connect with them? I’m not saying you have to be friends with everyone but I guess I’m wondering why we just can’t be tolerant.
To be quite honest I’m okay with someone not liking me but I hate knowing that someone is talking badly behind my back. I don’t mind you telling me something bothered you but don’t discount my apology by making what I did an issue for all to see on your blog or Facebook. I’ve seen some awful rants in very public forums and my thought has always been if you can’t respect the other person at least respect yourself enough not to do that. Perhaps taking into consideration the number of capes someone is wearing will help us all be more tolerant.
I’m going to strive to always remember the capes……it’s just the easier path to take….don’t you think?
