November 2013 – Lucy Taylor

RIP birdy

RIP birdy

I imagined Dia de los Muertos, day of the dead was in full swing in our North West Tasmanian garden today. Borrowed from another culture; a new face in a fresh place. I say that with Frida Kahlo colour and thematics in mind. The decorations for the dearly departed were lavish; roses, nasturtium and fuschia, adorned the site of a black bird husk.

A spirited child had collected the fallen body a day earlier. He crafted a nest of twig and bloom. The winged creature’s stiff frame was tended to; and ‘a concert’ was called to the small familiar crowd. After a quick giggly tune, the crowd moved right up close for a look at the corpse. Something wiggled near the eye socket.

A dead bird, It lived in the same space we do, chattered while we spoke, sang at times when we played. Nested, as we bunkered down in rough weather and lived with a family here too.

Love of Place

Women with a passion for their homes, gardens and the greater community and landscape around them are super charged with a sense of pride. This extends to greater care for visitors to their home or ‘place’. More careful food choices for the communal table; like greens from the garden or a local producer are the norm. Many superwomen are green thumbs or love going bush. They know some native flora, even recognise resident fauna that visit their patch.

These super ladies often exhibit local fashion; adorned with beads and hang a friends print on their living room wall. This love of place also presents a personal dimension to issues related to the environment; whether it be the necessity of a thermo- mix in the home kitchen to grind the excessive rocket to pesto, or debating the allocation of precious wilderness to mining in the back hills. Both topics might bring about emotive arguments. Stomped feet to the ground. For the Tarkine! You might hear one shout.

Creativity (behind closed doors) or out loud.

It’s a little piece of wonder when one of your contemporaries emerges from their home into the public eye with something home- made. Be it a new pocket smock dress, a rich family recipe Christmas cake or resin bead jewellery; it’s always bloody brilliant. This is the realm of a super woman. They don’t flaunt; only do their best and are quietly stoked about how it all came together.

Superwomen don’t bat out of their league, they are champions by getting out on the field.

Even runny cherry jam is beautiful in a tart. Lopsided hemlines, reminiscent of cat-walk trends.

Working Class Woman

A super woman finds value in a working world, with a steeliness about her ‘work’ ways. For superwomen, adaptability when faced with the conflicting demands of parenthood versus career ambition comes naturally over time. A super woman knows where the needle rests on her own scales. She often plummets desperately in one direction then immediately rebalances herself. Parenting is a wobbly lifestyle and a working one at that.

The super working woman evokes images of a frontier woman; wielding an iron fire poker, surrounded by exuberant children with animals to feed and threads to mend.

A contemporary image is more fuzzy with woman reimagining parenting, freedom at work and children in arranged care. Many still tend to fierce loving values at home and some grab rare moments to make work of their own from this same family space. Either way there is super power in women who reign their decision to work; and to parent or not to parent at all; living well in rich soils.

Superwomen have accomplices.

Superwomen learn from really listening, spending real time with others and intimately knowing other women within and beyond their familial ties. Collected moments add layers to friendships and small kind gestures are common trade. Accomplices are like good spirits that can top up your glass; give you a warm buzz; soothe you when you are weary. Superwomen are good friends and surrounded by such.

Men are wonderful accomplices for super woman too; of course. Sweet lovin’ helps bind the best mates, but then there is also good chat. Words spoken with no boundaries; opinions, dreams.

Accomplices are like nectar for super women.

Mind over matter; matters.

Super women wear their strengths like an invisible tool belt for success. Many have a knack for pulling out words that have healing properties, to soothe others. Some have such clever minds that they can make scientific discoveries or study new topics to aid health or give momentum to the business world, and others pick up the pieces with superb skills in service.

They may carry totemic words of wisdom “top of mind” and ensure their bodies are well fuelled and fit giving them a perceived capability that really does carry them through their tasks, even leaving enough energy to assist others. Super women also know by heart, how best to nurture themselves.

Superwomen exude a power that works magic into their day to day lives.

Note from the author:

Share any Super woman ingredients that you know add up. Below the gallery, if you please! This is coming from observations of a 30 something woman in Tasmania. There are great oceans of unique people and places; maybe some exotic ingredients would add flavour to this mix? Love to read some ideas from all.