The littlest things. Thinking of the women of the Ukraine.

 

Annabelle and I are at home being pretty lazy while Don is in town running errands.  

Post Office, drug store, bank.  You know, those little things we just do without much thought.

Unless we're in the process of deciding what to cram into a backpack to carry with us as soldiers invade our country.

My lazy day included pampering myself a little with a mask.

One of those girly-girl things so many women do.

The soothing coolness of my facial mask fought with the salt of my tears as I thought about the women in Ukraine not having a choice today as to whether they might want to have a lazy day of pampering or decide what to cram into a backpack to carry with them as soldiers invade their country.

Some of us love our potions, and creams.  

Some us enjoy playing with them.  Or just knowing they're there.

We paint our nails.  We paint our faces.  We spritz on a bit of favorite fragrance.

We enjoy being women, doing what women around the world do.

And have done for hundreds of years.

Small things.

Inconsequential.

Material things.

But things that remind us that we're women.

We may be thought of as soft, and we may possess softness others think of as a weakness, but only a fool would think that's the all of us.  Along with that softness is the strength to decide what to cram into a backpack to carry with us as soldiers invade our country.

It won't be their potions and creams the women of Ukraine will be packing, of course.  Sadly, those are only a few of the parts of their lives they'll be leaving behind.

Wondering if they'll ever see them again.

Ever spend a day of pure delicious laziness ever again.

In the meantime we will read stories like the one about the brave Ukrainian woman who offered a soldier a handful of sunflower seeds.

https://www.joe.ie/news/ukraine-woman-confronts-russian-soldier-743128

Thinking of Ukraine today.

Thinking about the acts of bravery we will be reading about during the coming days.

Real bravery.

While many much less brave will continue to bitch and moan and whine about wearing a mask during a global pandemic.

This is what inspired me to write today.

Ukrainian artist Olesya Hudyma (b. 1980), "Angel of Peace for Ukraine XI," oil on canvas. She posted 13 hours ago that her family woke to the hum of planes and they are putting backpacks together.

https://www.facebook.com/olesyahudyma