On it or under It

This was what Spartan women would say to their men before they departed for war. The saying meant that a spartan man was only to return to his home as a victor in battle or a deceased warrior who had fought bravely. Spartan women were some tough as nails women. They were bred this way by the culture they grew up in. They were never percieved as weaker than men or beneath men.

Many women played a significant role in the history of Sparta.[74] Queen Gorgo, heiress to the throne and the wife of Leonidas I, was an influential and well-documented figure. Herodotus records that as a small girl she advised her father Cleomenes to resist a bribe. She was later said to be responsible for decoding a warning that the Persian forces were about to invade Greece; after Spartan generals could not decode a wooden tablet covered in wax, she ordered them to clear the wax, revealing the warning.[75] Plutarch's Moralia contains a collection of "Sayings of Spartan Women", including a laconic quip attributed to Gorgo: when asked by a woman from Attica why Spartan women were the only women in the world who could rule men, she replied "Because we are the only women who are mothers of men".[76]
(Wickipedia)

In short Spartan women were some serious, hard core, women. You didn't mess with the Spartan women. They were just as feared in battle as the men and just as respected in thier society as them as well. Women were viewed and legally treated the same as a man. They could inherit property and rule the city-state. Of all the Greek city states Sparta was the most feared in battle and they enjoyed the peace that this reputation brought them well into the Roman Empire.

In a lot of ways I hold a deep respect for these women and thier place in history. I think it's fascinating that at a time in history when women were subjugated and treated as little more than property these Spartan women ascended above all of that. I have to take a moment and applaud the men of Sparta as well for realizing that strong women breed strong men and that more pride and ownership a woman can have in her own life the more beneficial it is to everyone. There are a lot of strong female leaders in our worlds history. Bodecia is often thought of as the original "Amazon Woman". She single handedly united the disorganized tribes of England and led them in force against the Roman Empires invasion of the island. She marched into battle at the front of the lines everytime and she was a SERIOUS force to be reckoned with. The Roman Empire almost lost their take over of the island mostly due in part to Bodecia's fierce protection and her sharp wits. Catherine Great of Russia, Queen Victoria, and many others have been a credit to thier sex and thier country and I firmly believe they should be celebrated as pioneers of the womens movement.

Why do I bring this up? What is the point of this blog? Simply this: We Women are made of stronger stuff than our men. I'm not saying men are weak they are good for other things like taking out the trash at night when it's cold, working on our cars, and getting that nasty hair ball that always seems to collect in the bathtub drain and of course killing the wayward mouse or rat *shivers* defitnly a job for men. But women are strong in other ways. We are the backbone of our houses and if men are the head then women are the neck. I think God designed us to be tough mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. It take some serious mental toughness to be a mother. It takes just as much to be a wife. We are responsible for so many other people we often forget to take care of ouselves. We need to stop doing that women we need to remember that even the Spartan women, and they were tough as nails, took time out of thier lives to just be.
I'm going home to New Orleans next weekend my boys and I will drive down on Friday night and my mom has told me she will take care of my boys for a few days so that I can just be myself. Not mom, not wife, not employee, just myself. It's been so long since I've been allowed to just be myself that i'm a little excited by the prospect. I know when I come back the "vacation" will be over and it will be back to work. Work as a mom, work as a wife, an work as an employee. In the meantime i'm going to look forward to Mardi Gras and my little unexpected vacation from my life.