Smite or Bless?

You all know that Goddessa loves to do some smiting. There is plenty in the world today richly deserving of smiting and if you disagree, Goddessa thinks you are being dangerously optimistic.

What you might not know is that sometimes Goddessa also blesses! There are plenty of things in the world richly deserving of encouragement and positive attention. It can be kind of beautiful, if somewhat sticky.

First, a smiting.

Today Trombone and I went on our morning walk to London Drugs to buy chocolate. (Does that sound like we walk to LD every morning for chocolate? That’s between me, Trombone and the London Drugs clerks. The rest of you can stay out of it.) Tomorrow my cousin is getting married – staging an elopement, actually – and we are bringing my new favourite chocolate: Green and Black’s.

I paused in the card isle, thinking I would attempt to choose an appropriate card for this occasion. Why did I think that? Has the card isle ever satisfied me? No, it has not. But hope, it’s not just a city 100 kms east of Vancouver.

There were frou-frou wedding cards with glued-on lace and embossed rings. There were religious cards with sparkly writing and money holders. There was a misplaced congratulations card that said, “You deserve a cookie. OK maybe two. Congratulations,” which was almost the right card but not quite. And then I Saw It.

Several index cards of different colours, attached at the upper left corner with a rivet. Card one: They Love.
Card two: She dreams. He smiles.
Card three: She talks. He listens.
Card four: She cries. He holds.
Card five: She sings. He laughs.

Goddessa came ferociously, like a shark to a seal family reunion. She roared like the ropey fingers of a Gulf Coast hurricane. She shocked the monkey with her cries of anguish. Of all the pansy-assed summaries of relationship; of all the stereotypical Venus/Mars crap; of all the sitcom myth of What Men and Women are Like. She dreams. He SMILES? He doesn’t get to dream? He doesn’t comment on the dream? He just smiles? He better do more than fucking smile when Goddessa tells him her dreams. He better offer some goddamn ENCOURAGEMENT.

The only one Goddessa understands is the singing and the laughing. But he’d better be laughing with, not at. (unless Goddessa is on stage) Or that’s going to be the shortest marriage in the history of short marriages.

Greeting card companies where if it’s a card that doesn’t rhyme you figure you’re done with the creativity for today? You Done Been Smote.

Oh and did I mention it was $6.79?

And now: Goddessa’s first blessing.

A few days ago I was at London Drugs checking the baby stuff to see if there was baby stuff on sale. There wasn’t. But across from the baby isle there is the feminine hygiene isle. And amidst a vast ocean of tampons and pads, there sat a small display of Diva Cups, the silicone, reusable menstrual cup. (They are fantastic to use, so much cheaper than disposables and could last you several years before needing replacing. And they come with a lapel pin that says “Diva.”) Goddessa was so impressed she did a brief jig of joy right there, to “How Will I Know?” by Whitney Houston, which seems always to be playing at London Drugs. Goddessa never thought she would live to see reusable menstrual products on the shelves of a mainstream drugstore. For providing actual choice to your customers, not just Tampon A versus Tampon B, London Drugs? You done been blest!