Today is Equal Pay Day. This is the day into the year that a woman must work (adding in last year) at the same job a man works, with his having to work only through last December to earn the same amount of money.
Gee. You’d think that employers still had old fashioned ideas that a woman worked as a hobby, that she has a husband who provides for her and the needs of the family and so deserves the job and pay. Naw….who in this day and age would still think such a thing?
Imagine living alone and going a week or even longer without talking to another human being. Oh, there’s TV, maybe texting, and probably recorded tele-marketing messages, but those aren’t the actual voice of a person you can interact with. This happens often to the ill and aging, especially those who have been widowed and whose kids have moved away. These people are vulnerable to depression and extreme loneliness. You can probably think of someone who might be in this situation, even if they put up a cheerful front. Take five minutes to call them. Ask if you can stop by for a visit. Or just talk awhile. Say you were thinking of them…that you saw something that reminded you of them…that you just want to catch up on what’s happening with them. And share your own news. It takes such a small effort on your part but can chase away the loneliness in someone’s life. The touch of a human voice can be a precious gift.
Greeting card? In the mail?! Yes, we still get them sometimes other than Christmas. Don’t waste them. After all, a tree died to make them. Use them to surprise, amaze, and delight your friends with a personal, hand-written note. Cut down the fronts of old greeting cards to 4½” x 6½” to make nice-sized picture postcards that use a regular postcard stamp. Recycle, save, and brighten someone’s day!
[For more easy, money-saving, Eco-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7000, choose a format, and download to your computer or e-book device. For a description of the book go to My Free Books).
Apparently, mannequins are in danger in India. Stores in Mumbai will have to clothe them decently (no Victoria’s Secret) or remove them. The reasoning behind this regulation is supposedly that nude or provocatively dressed mannequins can provoke men to attack women sexually. Now, as everyone knows, rape is an exertion of power over another person, even a hate-crime; it is not a result of normal sexual urges or too much Viagra. Therefore, I can only conclude that those men making the rules in Mumbai really want to protect their city’s mannequins. I guess that’s their prerogative.
On this International Women’s Day, I’d like to invite all my sisters to celebrate who we are–wives, mothers, sisters, daughters, care-givers, peace-makers, providers, CEOs, government officials, and just regular human beings. Not necessarily in that order.
Strengthen your marriage and family by pigging out! Invite a few couples to your home for a potluck “TV dinner.” Set up TV trays and a buffet-style dinner, have people load up their plates, then settle in to watch and discuss an informative video on an important issue. Although the topic may be serious, like communication within families, marriage as a partnership, blending families, or surviving your kids’ teen years, the video should be entertaining while fueling discussion. Be sure to stop it at intervals to let people talk about what they’ve heard. (As host, preview it and make note where to stop if there are not built-in discussion-pauses.) The informality of the situation encourages your friends to share their stories, and you’re likely to have at least as many laughs as serious comments. By the end of this couples-evening you will be full—of good food, good talk, and ideas to enrich your family life.
What is “Sensible Saturday”? It’s my name for the day of the week (every week) when I offer easy, sensible, often money-saving ways to help protect our environment. My suggestion is always short and something that most people can do as they go about their daily lives. Yet they’re tiny actions that, as more and more people do them, can have a big impact on our Earth. Here’s the one for today:
How often do you need a stud-finder or multimeter? Caulking gun, screening tool, post-hole digger? Avoid waste by borrowing from a tool lending library or renting the item.
[For more easy, money-saving, Eco-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7000, choose a format, and download to your computer or e-book device. For a description of the book go to My Free Books].
Now for this Thursday Thought:
“The greatest threat to our planet
is the belief that someone else will save it.”
— Robert Swan
Today, March 1, begins Women’s History Month. It’s a time to look at the women who built our country, improved our lives, made this a better, more just world. Like the Suffragettes, who fought for–and won–the 19th Amendment to our Constitution, Clara Barton (founder of the Red Cross), even Janet Guthrie (first woman to drive in the Indy 500). The list is long and momentous. But how about those who are not recognized as “great”? Like moms who raise future inventors, educators, peace-negotiators, etc. Waitresses who serve a hearty breakfast to the (probably) men about to meet to make important legal or political decisions. Doctors and nurses whose skills save lives. Teachers who educate our future leaders. They, too, are women who contribute to history. They, too, deserve to be recognized for their contributions to the human family.
