Let the dog in!

noun:

1. A woman of extraordinary stature, strength, and courage.
2. A woman regarded as loud, scolding, ill-tempered, quarrelsome, or overbearing.

The intrepid heroines range from Unn the Deep Minded, the Viking virago who colonized Iceland, to Sue Hendrikson, a school dropout who became one of the great experts on amber, fossils and shipwrecks.
– Ann Prichard, “Coffee-table: Africa, cathedrals, animals, ‘Sue’”, USA Today, November 28, 2001

Virago comes from Latin virago, “a man-like woman, a female warrior, a heroine” from vir, “a man.”

I don’t really like this word, but it was new to me so I thought I’d share.

I don’t like how its two definitions contradict. Which is it, a great woman or an annoying one? But then again, maybe that’s realistic. We all may have both qualities in ourselves, expressed at different times of day or in different situations.

And which will it be today…….?

Considering my real wake-up, clear-the-head moment came this morning when I heard Kid slam the front door, I became woman #2 above. I knew she was naked. What was she doing?

What was her mission (because there always is one)?

To retrieve her very important purple, glittery flip flops from the car in the driveway. Even though it’s 30 degrees and foggy outside. Does that make her woman #1, bravely enduring the elements to reach the treasure?

I think that just makes her 4. Oh, I mean, 4 and 1/2.

I may like this word after all. It’s all about the context, baby.

Are you being woman #1 or #2 today?

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