three things: for thinking women

Here’s the thing about blog writing. It gets under your skin a bit and seeps into the corners of your life. You may be living a perfectly normal day: refilling another cup of coffee, responding to an email, taking a walk to the mailbox, choosing the right pair of shoes for the busy day ahead…and then THE question weasels its way in-between the daily tasks, “Should I write about this?”

I may be a writer, but not everything is worth crafting an essay about. I know many will disagree with that statement, insisting that one may blog about anything ANYTHING and find one’s audience just waiting in the wings, hungry for more content about organizing your pantry or arranging a charcuterie plate (tbh I would probably read both of those posts, so don’t listen to me), but I am not the writer of those essays.

However, my writermind and my writerheart constantly volley back and forth between the worlds of philosophy and Christian theology and political science and the ethics of our society and colorful, eye-catching shoes. There is no discord here: I love the structure of a well-thought-out argument just as much as I love the lines of a great handbag. But I do wonder about you, my reader. Who is she? What does she want/need to read right now? Does she also think about federal legislation and high-waist jeans in a 30 second flash? I guess what I am ultimately asking is this…where my girls at?

There should be a lovely balance in that writer/reader or blogger/audience relationship. In a perfect world, the very idea that sparks a flame in my heart and races to my fingertips to come out would also be the message that serves you. If you want to talk about these things, the big and challenging ideas and the created objects of beauty, then come sit by me. Back in high school I always ended up at the “eclectic” table anyways (somewhere towards the back of the cafeteria with a healthy mixture of nerds, goths, normies, and the random exchange student), so not much has changed.

If you are a grown woman who likes to ask deep questions and who raises her hand because the curiosity just won’t wait and who doesn’t apologize for her love of ____ (what do you love? what inspires you?)…then this list is for you. You are my girl. You are who I write for everyday.

Three (simple) things: for thinking women

• “Are Women Human? Penetrating, Sensible, and Witty Essays on the Role of Women in Society” by Dorothy L. Sayers. Sayers was a contemporary of C.S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, a woman who was a Christian, and a well-loved author, and who was also considered an intellectual peer with these famous men during the early part of the Twentieth century. In this slim edition, Sayers considers what it is like to be a woman in society and she does it with dry humor and piercing insight. Sayers tone is both serious in content and light-hearted at life; her writing is somehow both broad and specific, easily accessible and challenging. The best kind of feast for a thinking (and always reading) woman.

• Francis Schaeffer’s, “How Should We Then Live?: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture” should be required reading for every American student (or, at least every student at a Christian liberal arts university!) Even though this title by Schaeffer was published –one of more than twenty books spanning his career– in 1976, his insight into the downward direction of our society was truly prophetic. If you find yourself wondering about the Christian biblical and philosophical response to cultural issues like gender pronouns and religious refugees, then this is a great place to start.

• These marigold slide sandals with a perfect heel. Women are complex creatures– we seek truth and we value beauty and sometimes the perfect late-summer to early-fall transition shoe can live happily at that crossroad. I’m done with trying to simplify myself (or my “brand” …barf) in order to become a one-dimensional commodity for sale. We are more than that. We were made for so much more! And it’s just plain fun to wear the yellow shoes while we discuss #everydaytheology, don’t ya think?

If you are a new reader, a faithful subscriber, or somehow randomly ended up on my blog, let me just say that I am so glad you’re here. I want to know what keeps you up at night, what you are curious about, what inspires you…if you feel like sharing, just drop it in the comments or send me a quick email! I look forward to reading your words. xo