Sunday I led a group of women on a snow shoe guided walk. They were the silver frost bunch with a great sense of humor. It was sunny no wind and actually warm if you can wrap your mind around 36 degrees being warm. Years ago I would have told you warm is anything above 65 but with age and changing hormones comes the love for cold winter blast while a mild flash is taking place. Vicky one of the woman who hadn't been on snow shoes for two years was putting on her shoes. She said, "Naomi I wanted to be a forest ranger when I was a young girl. I remember telling my teacher in school and desiring to do my class paper on forest rangers. Well she called my parents and they had to come in. There was a parent teacher meeting and it was decided that I could do the paper. However they were alarmed that I didn't consider being a nurse or teacher because being a ranger was taking a job away from a man." She said, "I was traumatized from that experience of speaking my dreams." I never spoke again about it but that is what I wanted to do. I wanted to do what you are doing."Of course this was back in 1950's but still I went quiet inside.
You see my heritage demands that I question all no's. It demands that when someone says I can't to do it. Then go do it to the best of my abilities even if it kills me trying. Women have an unique struggle to succeed and still be women. I don't know about her era from experience but looking back at the borrowed lenses of their eyes that was mean and crushing thing to do to a child. Vicky went on to say when they went to college at Colorado State University they couldn't take forestry but the men could. So once again we had a denial of education/training based on gender. She said this laughing but I wondered if she laughed then. Sandy concurred her story she too went to "CSU" and her brother not her could take Forestry.
Today in most of America this is not blatantly done. Teachers are instructed to encourage, to foster the biggest possibility of children within themselves. Women today are blessed in many ways. We have avenues open to use for out of date thinking such as that. Still. I think of my own journey too. In my military career I had to write someone up for harassment and it left a bitter pill in my mouth. I was in shock about it for a year afterwards and very angry. I didn't stay angry but my trust of men was dashed against the rocks for years when it came to work relations. My own resolutions of not seeing men as the enemy took personal coaching and couch time before I began to trust myself in a work relationship with male bosses. It was a long road and many days I couldn't see the sunshine because of my seeing every thing as a conflict or confrontation. Glad to be beyond that way of being.
Oh yeah back to our snow shoe hike.
We enjoyed the it. I missed my turn and we ended up going about a mile extra. They didn't mind. Vicky, Sandy and Doris learned why dead leaves are still on the immature Gamble oak. The young trees have yet to figure out how to measure the darkness like older mature Gamble oak do thus there limbs are bare. Sandy got a new camera; thank god because a couple of hills had me winded and I enjoyed stopping for a photo break. I learned something new today too. A dream deferred doesn't have to end up on the wood chuck pile. There are many routes to it if you are patient and keep moving forward. Vicky said, "I love being outdoors in nature hiking, or doing some cross-country skiing." She claims this is how she gets to be a forest ranger by being in nature. She goes to parks and plays in them. I felt kinship with her for those two hours. I felt honored to be wearing the green and gray, I felt I represented her hope, her dream.
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