I AM WOMAN - HEAR ME @ YOUR LIBRARY...or your grocery story mag rack

Every year, more than 500,000 entrepreneurs start new businesses in the United States. But how and where to they get the resources and support it takes to succeed? The answer is @ your library.

From now until May 10th, Woman’s Day magazine, in conjunction with ALA’s Campaign for America’s Libraries, is collecting stories on how its readers have used the library to start their small businesses.

Do you know someone who has been impacted in this way? Visit the article on the ALA website... http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Template=/ContentManagement/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=149969
about promoting this campaign, or encourage your patrons to submit their story.

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Talking about women (we were you know - in the previous entry) reminds me of a recent trip to the grocery store where I overheard a mom (presumably) say to her teen-age daughter that she had to learn that women weren't as important as men in our world and she needed to learn that lesson early or she'd be miserable for the rest of her life. I stopped in my tracks and looked around just to make sure that this wasn't a dream. What was I hearing? In this 'enlightened' day these things were still being passed on? Could it be true?

I am almost 65 years old. I guess I am very fortunate that the men in my life have always encouraged me to do and be whatever I wanted. I remember my oldest brother sitting me down when I was about 13 or so (at the time he was about 20) and telling me that one of the most important things I could do for myself in my whole life is to get an education or training where I would always be able to get a decent-paying job so that I could support myself financially no matter what else happened in my life. He pointed out that it would be even better if that education or training could be in a field that I liked but that 'basic survival' (and not having to be totally financially dependent on anyone else - ever) was at the bottom of his advice. I've always remembered that advice and even passed it along others. I found it to be empowering.

Hasn't our civilization grown yet to the place where we can quit making either men or women more important than the other and, instead, actively look for ways for everyone (men, women and children of both sexes) to give and receive our different gifts to each other and to our communities? Men are not always physically stronger and they are certainly not always smarter or more financially astute than women or even children. Then again, women are not always the best nurturers/cooks/cleaners/teachers/etc. By sharing our strengths, we can all be strong...at home or at work.

Teaching our children (or other adults) that one sex is always 'better' in any way is such a waste of human potential, don't you agree?