New Project start

It's been a week since the whole "I get flowers YAY! and the pipe breaks BOO!" thing. I've been somewhat illish and not able to focus on much.  Weird week, all the way around.

This was a sucky week to be a woman. Lots of rapes and loss of funds for poor women to get access to health care stuff. More threats on congresswomen and in general enough crap to where I wonder why sometimes we even bother. Well, I guess we shouldn't say "we." As a woman, I tend NOT to bother with everyone else. It's one of the places where I get very into Ayn Rand's Objectivism because I see culture trying so hard to make women live FOR others instead of living for themselves.

Anyway, I'm rambling. Back to the point.  The Friday post....okay, technically, it's Saturday, but you get the idea, will now (mostly) consist of a small summary of the week and then a list.  The list will change depending on what I want to focus on.  As today is my niece's birthday, this list will be about her.

Five Things I Want for My Niece's Future

1. I want my niece to be independent. I don't want her to feel she has to rely on others, either for her safety, comfort, shelter, or ego-stroking.  I want the main person she finds security in to be herself.

2. I want my niece to be a critical thinker.  I hope she never takes things at face value, never believes something just because she's told she should. I hope she questions, rationalizes, analyzes, and comes to her own conclusions.

3. I want her to hold her safety in the highest regard.  I want her to always remember that her number one priority is her own survival and that this keeps her from making decisions that threaten her life, her liberty, or her future.

4. I want her to have self-esteem.  I want her to know who she is, have a strong hold on her own self-worth, so that when someone tries to threaten that, instead of feeling that threat, she simply laughs the situation off because she knows the truth of herself.

5. I hope she revels in her life. I hope she continues to enjoy her moments, laugh, sing, dance, make jokes, make up stories, play dress up, play pirates, play jedis.  I hope she really tastes the sweet of things, loves every kiss, enjoys every secret confession, marvels at something so simple as the color of someone else's eyes. I hope she keeps letters and cards and mementos. I hope she does this until the end of her days.

Ahh, good list.  Happy birthday, kiddo.  Love you.