Prayers Flags & V-Day

In the Mail--Yesterday I received some Tibetian Prayer Flags in the mail. It was not from anyone I knew (well, the letter did say it was from the Dalia Lama & Richard Gere, but I've never met either). It felt a little hopeful to open up the envelope and find prayer flags, even though they were asking for a donation, it was a gift.

V-Day- Until the Violence Stops-I also went and saw The Vagina Monologues last night, a fundraiser for organizations that help women against violence. In the lobby they sold chocolate vaginas, of course, it still being Lent, I had to pass on them.

We arrived quite early and because of our ability to not read a clock correctly we had terrific seats. Normally I arrive just a little late, enough to move me to a seats I'd rather not have. Here, we were second row center and only because the first row was reserved for the volunteers.

I thought the first act was much better than the second. The second act felt as if we were going over old material, that "vagina" is only funny the first two-hundred times you hear it, then it loses something. Also, I started to get a little tired, so I was much harder to amuse or impress.

The only monologue that felt dated (and I guess this is a good thing) is one where the women come out and talk about their short skirts and that they have a right to wear whatever they want without being touched, groped, bothered, raped, etc. In my mind, we have moved past Jodie Foster and The Accused, but maybe it's still issue.

My three favorite monologues were the opening monologue with all the nicknames for a vagina--pussycat, monkey box, mooky pajama, dee dee, powder box and Connie. I liked the angry vagina woman cursing at OB-GYN visits and tampons. And also the woman in the "vagina workshop" as that is so new-age hippie Washington, checking her vagina on her little blue mat.

There was a lot of heartbreak in the monologues, girls/women as sex slaves, girls/women being raped during war, many things I don't think too much about in my daily life, but deep down when they are brought to the surface and I am reminded about pain and violence, and that we are all victims of such crimes, men and women alike. We are connected and violence against anyone whether in war or an individual act is to violence against ourselves.

I wonder if one day we will ever find peace in ourselves enough to deal with conflict with compassion, to act from a place of faith or trust, but not fear. I wonder.