Legends, All

When I was growing up I often had my mother around. Every day at 4PM I could count on being incredibly bored as Oprah was on TV and it was the ONLY time of day that my sister and I were forbidden from changing the channel (until 6PM when my Dad got home and put on the news). When my mother went back to work, I continued watching Oprah (I was 13) and I often found her show interesting. I particularly enjoyed her book club (not started until much later), but her program seemed mostly uplifting and a break from what daily talk shows seem to have become.

With all of Oprah's talk about women, especially those in positions of power, it became clear to me that, as a woman, it is my duty to give something back. She is one of the first women who made it clear that we could be anything we wanted. We did not have to be homemakers. We didn't have to get married (poor Stedmand). We certainly did not have to have children. None of these things defined us. Only our intelligence, our generosity, and the way we choose to live our lives really determines who we are. Even so, Oprah felt the need to celebrate the "ordinary" women, the homemakers, the teachers, the grandmothers, so that we may be inspired by the way they have lived there lives and learn from their example.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not an Oprah worshiper. I haven't watched her program in years, though I think I should probably start again. But it was her Legend's Ball that brought me back to the table and made me realize that I have been neglectful in my duties to myself, to the women in my life, and MOST ESPECIALLY, to the women around the world. First, I am going to start by getting involved in women's issues. I have a few months off from work, I might as well use it to the advantage of those around me. Next, I will be writing letters to my local, state, and federal representatives to find out exactly what they're doing to help women and telling them what I think they SHOULD be doing. Finally, I am going to start my own local women's organization where we can share our successes, our failures, and continue along the course of providing for women's needs, fighting for women's rights, and honoring those that have helped us come this far.