Madam Dora Bolshaw, Deadwood SD.
Words of Wisdom from one of my favorite philosophers via my niece Franny: "He who has a strong enough why can bear almost any how"- Friedrich Nietzsche. This was a quote on a site she recommended on facebook, and is particularly meaningful to me right now. I have had a rough patch this winter- headed off to Dr. P again today to work on the sleeping thing- but I am feeling more positive and starting to stir in my cocoon. Part of this stirring is thinking and reevaluating where I am, who I am and what I want...and what is important. I know that I want to work smarter not harder, that I have procrastination issues big-time that creates anxiety which makes me terribly cranky, that I am getting tired of being the boss-of-all-things/ being in charge at work, and that I am *very* tired of constantly being on the edge financially. I also know that I am smart, talented, more creative than ever- that I have a wonderful, kind, talented husband who works hard, that I have a good son who is responsible, smart and self-supporting, and that life is good overall- just needs a bit of polishing. So what is my 'why'? I want to evolve my life for the 'why' of self realization through becoming a creative force in order to teach others.... teach others what? I don't know - things I know. Random things, forgotten things, interesting things.... I know the information, it just bubbles up when it wants to be taught which is why art class sometimes turns into Physics, or Nero science, or Etiquette or....anything. How am I going to do this and reshape my clay? I don't know yet, but the thought is floating around.... which brings us around to Madam Dora.
Madam Dora is a bit of a dubious role model- but she took a rough life and made the best of it. She was brought over from England to America as a young girl, and through poverty ended up being a prostitute at age 13. She was smart though, and thrifty, and ended up going west to Deadwood (which is one wild place) and running her own brothel by the time she was 15. Fifteen! My fifteen year old students can't remember to bring a pencil to class let alone run a business....not that I want them running brothels, but still.... While that is an unsavory business, Dora did her 'girls' a service- she was one of the first who had strict rules about hygiene, dress and even had a doctor on staff...as well as Calamity Jane. She later married, and actually had a string of brothels around the Dakotas- coined the word 'Cathouse' and wrote a book. Dora traveled her road- a wild one- but self-actualized her potential, retired happily with her husband and pet parrot Fred, and died in her sleep at the age of 66... which seems young now, but when you think of her extremely high risk life style, it was quite old for that time and place.
So today I am going to think of Madam Dora, walk a bit in her footsteps (Nothing naughty! Just brave!) and work on my "why" and my "how".
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