Always on the lookout for a good laugh, I found just what I needed a few nights ago in the company of 20 something business women, a good bloke and a car. On a stormy Tuesday night we gathered for a networking evening and to learn the finer points of car maintenance. Not being a complete dummy with cars, I thought I might learn the odd new thing and at the same time would enjoy being in the presence of some women I’ve recently got to know and many I didn’t.
So after an enjoyable and informative chat with several of the women, I sat myself down as “Rob the car guy” got himself ready to share a tiny bit of his not insignificant, automotive knowledge with us (we learned that even the television programme “Target” had tapped into Rob’s automotive wisdom).
First things first, Rob pulled out a pair of ordinary old kitchen gloves and urged us to use a similar pair before we start pottering around under our various bonnets. Then from behind him he pulled out a pair of large blue overalls and yes, he suggested that we should also purchase a pair of these. I was just contemplating that seemed a bit unnecessary when a loud voice from the centre of the room asked “Do the overalls came in different colours?”
Hilarity abounded and I had visions of all of us working under our bonnets in gorgeous coloured overalls of every hue. Rob was a trooper and despite the laughter kept steadily moving us forward from engine oil, to engine coolant, brake fluid (wear your gloves and pink overalls around that stuff), power steering fluid and auto-transmission fluid. We dipsticked, smelt, touched and generally learned to decipher the various oils and new, healthy looking stuff from old, icky oil. We learned about what to expect in a service (depending on how much you want to pay), what not to expect and what to ask for. We even learned the difference between a tune-up (spark plugs and ignition) as opposed to a good old service. In short, I think we all felt a bit more knowledgeable and much less likely to unwittingly damage our engines or be ripped off through ignorance.
As I sat there last night, chuckling away at the hilarious comments, I realised how years ago I would have been horrified by the absolute, unashamed femininity that filled the room. I would have been judgemental and righteous about the self-deprecating comments, the raw honesty, the purposeful silliness and the deliberate irony, judging it as somehow beneath me!
Oh how wonderful is the peaceful acceptance that comes with age, time and on-going self-awareness and introspection. Last night I celebrated three things: the magnificence of women, how much fun it can be to be in their presence and how liberating it is to bask in silliness now and again. For one who is always seeking the healing of the shadow, I left feeling particularly light.
