Growing up on a farm, I was a very independent young lady and would ignite into something similar to a volcanic eruption if told that I was not able to do something that a male could. I cringed away from the idea of a woman being a wallflower, something beautiful and helpless, something to be taken care of, and petted.

While I still rise to the challenge if told I am incapable of doing something, my outlook on life as a woman has changed since I was a 15 year-old harum scarum.

The question for me now is not “Am I capable of doing this?” but rather “Is it the best option for me to do this?”

It is rare that I can point to a certain time, event, book, or person and say, “That changed my life.” Most changes have occurred slowly, like water wearing away on a rock. There are, however, several times when I can look at a certain point in time and say, “That book, or that person, or that event changed my life.” Or was a trigger for that change.

One story that was such a trigger for change was the story, “When Queens Ride By.” It chronicles the life of a couple struggling to make ends meet in their Midwestern farm. The wife sacrifices all her time in an effort to make ends meet on the farm. Life becomes a drudgery until she meets a “queen” riding by.

I am not sure how old I was when I first read this story, but it woke up a sleeping something inside of me and challenged my way of thinking. After rereading it while I was home this summer, I was again challenged. I have always been a bit of a “do as many things as possible” kind of person, trying to help here, trying to help there. While I love and appreciate beauty, it usually is not my first instinct to make my environment look beautiful or tend to details pertaining to the quality of life if there are pressing things to do, for example, as the story says, bring in the tomatoes. My first instinct would be to go without combing my hair to save time, skip breakfast or eat it on the run to save time, not bother buying a mixer if I can do it by hand and save money, etc. While my motto still is to live as simply as possible, there are times when spending a bit of time or money on the finer things of life can be an investment.

What kind of investment? An investment toward the quality of our emotional well-being. According to the University of Minnesota, living in a clean, beautiful environment can “influence your mood… impact your behavior and motivation… facilitate or discourage interactions… create or reduce stress” (Halcon).

This story challenged me, and while I still have a long way to go, it brought me to the realization of what the power of beauty and the power of a woman’s support can do. Even as a single, it made me rethink the way I live life, and the way my life affects those around me.

Read it. Savor the excellent writing style. Listen to what it speaks to you.

Here is the link:

When Queens Ride By

photo credit: pixabay

Source: https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/enhance-your-wellbeing/environment/your-personal-environment/how-does-your-personal-environment-impa