Heroine with an “E”
Language is fluid. That’s why dictionaries add new words, deem others archaic, and, especially in smaller editions, remove words falling from use. That wave of nostalgia that hits in the late teens and early twenties was strong in me. I hated to see old traditional meanings fade for fleeting substitutes. It felt like a loss of knowledge. I still think that an understanding of the facts and connections of history is important, but I’m glad that the way we view history changes over time. Sometimes the response creates new words, or gives new meanings to the old ones. Evolving understanding requires some loss. On the whole, it’s easier for me to move my cheese than it is for most people.
I’m totally cool with pronoun usage that informs nothing of gender about the noun, though I still stumble over “they.” I’d like something to specifically indicate plural or singular. That’s not always obvious from context, and the number of nouns seems like significant information to convey.
I avoided personal use of the word “partner” for some time because of the assumptions some people make, but now I think I actually like it better than husband or wife in most cases because of the assumptions that others make. The older use of those terms sometimes carries the connotation of possession, especially for women who were once considered chattel. A partner is what I want. It’s what I have, and it’s what my partner also deserves.
There’s an old gendered word I want to hang on to though. It’s “heroine” with an “e” (not e-less heroin, the illicit opiate, not the main character of a period British novel either), but a female hero. Women are heroes. Sometimes they do it in an ungendered way, and when they do, “hero” is fine. But, at least as often, women are heroes in a uniquely feminine way. We have a word for female heroism and I like to use it. I’d love to see heroine have a renaissance. It’s a good word. It’s a good thing to be.
New Section
I started a list of books I read this year for my own purposes and later thought to publish it. It was a lot of books, though, so actually publishing it seemed competitive or braggy. which is not where I want to be. But, then I received an email that had a “This Weeks Reading” section down near the closing. It’s a regular email and always has, but this week the section offered a solution. I thought “Yeah, that’s the way to do it”. So, that’s what I will do too. There won’t be a critique or a review. I may, or may not. say a few words about what I found most useful or entertaining about the book(s). So, here goes.
This Week’s Reading
Be Water, My Friend by Shannon Lee. Bruce Lee’s daughter writes about his life and philosophy.
Reading it this week was good timing. There were some parts that will guide me in having a better week than I otherwise would have.
Until next time, Have a glorious day and we’ll see you on the trail.
