To everything there is a season.....

Remember that Bible verse from Ecclesiastes? Or maybe you remember the song with these lyrics sung by the Byrds?  "To every season (turn, turn, turn)....."  In my quest for femininity, I have taken a decided step off the path, if you will.  Last night, my husband bought me a Jeep.  Not a soft, cushy Grand Cherokee with plush interior.  No, he bought me a 17-year-old Jeep Wrangler.  The kind where the top/doors come off and you cruise around town on big tires with your music blaring.  This is a decidely unfeminine vehicle. There are no soft curves, no soft seats, and definitely no soft rides.  It's square, loud, bouncy, rattly....and fun as all "get out" (an old southern term meaning "as much fun as you can have").  The thing is, he bought the Jeep at my request.

I've thought several times over the course of our search/buy process about why I want such an atypical-for-me vehicle.  I wear dresses 75% of the time.  I don't own a ballcap to keep my hair in order.  Everyone would agree that I'm more the sporty little coupe type woman than the off-road 4x4 type.  Will I lose all sense of feminity while cruising around town every day in my Jeep?  Can a woman who enjoys hunting be feminine while wearing camoflauge and toting a shotgun?  Can a woman be feminine while playing flag football in a church league?  Can a woman exhibit femininity while doing any number of "masculine" pursuits?  Since femininity starts in the heart and flows outward, I would argue that you can.  That doesn't mean you have to own a pink shotgun in order to still be considered feminine.  Nor does it mean you have to prance around while playing competitive sports afraid to get dirty or sweaty or mess up your perfectly coordinated uniform.  We are told in Scripture to do what we do to the best of our ability and to the glory of God.  That doesn't just mean quiet "womanly" things.  We can still maintain an attitude of feminity while pursuing these less than dainty activities.  It's just harder sometimes.  If you've ever played against me in competitive sports; well, let's just say that the "meek and quiet" spirit I strive to cultivate tends to go right out the window in favor of screaming, grunting and physicality!  My competitive nature often overrides my quest for Godly femininity and is an area that needs work.

So, what conclusions have I reached in my ponderings?  Well, I will still continue to wear dresses because I like them and they suit me.  I don't have to fit the mold of the 4x4-Jeep-driving-redneck.  I wanted a vehicle that was unique, something fun and adventurous, something in which the kids would also enjoy riding.  You could say I'm ready to add a little adventurous femininity to my external persona.  There is a time for me to be the perfectly groomed woman in a pencil skirt, pumps and makeup and there's also a time for me to let my hair down and have fun. So, if you're ever in middle Georgia and see a woman with extremely short hair (see, short hair is good for something), in a dress and large bug-eye sunglasses, riding around with the top down....that would be me.  Give me a wave and I'll be sure to give you a nice feminine beauty-queen wave right back!

Do you engage in activities or "adventures" that people would call unfeminine? How do you maintain your sense of being a feminine woman while engaging in those pursuits?

**The Jeep in the above picture is not mine and I certainly will not be taking it into 4-feet mud baths.  Just in case you were wondering....**