I Love Being a Girl

There is a wonderful poem by playwright and women’s rights activist, Eve Ensler called “I am an Emotional Creature.” I love the first line of the poem. “I love being a girl.” If you hear Ensler read this poem, she really draws out the word love. She says it with attitude. It’s emphatic. She means it. And this week, more than others, I’m feeling drawn to this poem.

Mom and I have spent the week at Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico. The Ranch is for men and women alike and great for couples, but out of 100-plus guests there were only about eight men. So naturally, we spent a lot of time with women – on hikes, in the hot tub, around a table stringing beads or at dinner. We shared stories, advice, and life experience. As one of the youngest people there, I learned a lot from older and wiser women. But it wasn’t all smiles and laughter. We talked about painful things too, like messy divorces, the recent death of a parent, the struggle to lose weight, breast cancer and feeling lost or inadequate.

The week of wonderful women continued when we returned to San Diego and had dinner with two more fun and inspirational women, Amanda from FoodPornDaily and Lori from RecipeGirl. We were at the restaurant for nearly four hours and could have stayed longer. We talked endlessly, we shared war stories, we were honest about ourselves and our bodies and our lives, we shared our hopes and our dreams. And vowed our support for one another. And I just felt so happy and good to be so honest. That’s what I love about the women in my life – their sensitivity coupled with strength.

I don’t know what it’s like to be a man. I’m certain the other half have their own good reasons for being men, but I sure am glad I’m a woman.

I am an Emotional Creature
by Eve Ensler

I love being a girl.
I can feel what you’re feeling
as you’re feeling it inside
the feeling
before.
I am an emotional creature.
Things do not come to me
as intellectual theories or hard-shaped ideas.
They pulse through my organs and legs
and burn up my ears.
I know when your girlfriend’s really pissed off
even though she appears to give you what
you want.
I know when a storm is coming.
I can feel the invisible stirrings in the air.
I can tell you he won’t call back.
It’s a vibe I share.
I am an emotional creature.
I love that I do not take things lightly.
Everything is intense to me.
The way I walk in the street.
The way my mother wakes me up.
The way I hear bad news.
The way it’s unbearable when I lose.
I am an emotional creature.
I am connected to everything and everyone.
I was born like that.
Don’t you dare say all negative that it’s a
teenage thing
or it’s only only because I’m a girl.
These feelings make me better.
They make me ready.
They make me present.
They make me strong.
I am an emotional creature.
There is a particular way of knowing.
It’s like the older women somehow forgot.
I rejoice that it’s still in my body.
I know when the coconut’s about to fall.
I know that we’ve pushed the earth too far.
I know my father isn’t coming back.
That no one’s prepared for the fire.
I know that lipstick means
more than show.
I know that boys feel super-insecure
and so-called terrorists are made, not born.
I know that one kiss can take
away all my decision-making ability
and sometimes, you know, it should.
This is not extreme.
It’s a girl thing.
What we would all be
if the big door inside us flew open.
Don’t tell me not to cry.
To calm it down
Not to be so extreme