The Hunter and The Gatherer - a primitive tale?

Let me tell you a short story.....

"The Hunter goes fishing. The Hunter catches 4 big fish. The Hunter comes home and shows The Gatherer and The Children 4 big fish. The Gatherer and The Children are impressed at The Hunter's catch. The Hunter stands tall and proud at his ability to provide for his family. The Gatherer collects the tubers, leaves, nuts and seeds to eat along with The Hunter's catch. The Hunter cooks the catch on an open fire. As The Gatherer and The Children are enjoying their food, The Hunter once again revels in his ability to provide for his family. The Hunter and The Children go to bed satisfied, stomach and egos replete. The Gatherer stays awake in order to tidy after the catch and prepare for the new day."

Now you have probably guessed that this is not a 'real' take on primitive life! In fact it is a situation that occurred at our house on the weekend. The main difference being that The Hunter (aka Jimmy) didn't use an open fire to cook the fish, he used the oven and the fish was very nicely seasoned with lemon, chilli and parsley!!

The similarity of our weekend experience to that of primitive times does encourage me to reflect on the roles that men and women play within our families and broader lives. Have we really evolved that much since primitive times?

In most cases the man goes out to work to provide for the family while the woman stays at home to look after the children and everything associated with the house, particularly while the children are very young. It is important for the woman to feel that she is a successful mother, wife, lover, friend, cleaner and cook (have I missed anything?!). However, often whilst trying to achieve in all of these areas, the woman can lose sight of exactly 'WHO' she is and what is important to her as an individual.

Often within my work I see so many women who give everything to their families and even friends. I can't tell you how many times I have heard "As long as everybody is happy, I will be happy!" So I ask you this...is it really your responsibility to make sure that everybody is happy? What about you as a person? Who would YOU be at your absolute best?

It can sometimes be a challenge and a little bit confronting asking these questions as a woman because a lot of our lives are focused on other people, it's The Gatherer within us all. However, I ask you to sit down and really have a think about the questions above, particularly "Who would you be at your best?" and then write down the answer, you may be pleasantly surprised by what comes out!

Enjoy the exploration my fellow gatherers.....till next week when there will be more!