Day 2-125 -- Strong Woman of History

The Google doodle today is for the 151st birthday of Nellie Bly. It celebrates the need for women to stand up for themselves and for other women. This woman was an investigative journalist by trade, shedding light on many inequities of the time. She circumnavigated the globe for a story, doing so in 80 days. Her courage and perseverance are a model for all.

In grade 8 we were given a biography of Nellie Bly to read. It surely contained only the sanitized version of her trip into the women's asylum in New York. I admit that I don't recall a lot of the story, but a group of students were assigned to do a group book report in some creative way. Our group chose to do a play based heavily on the book. I agreed to be director. We met at several homes to complete the work of writing and rehearsing. On the day of the play, we prepped in the cloak room off the classroom, with actors heading into the classroom for the 20-odd scenes we'd devised. It did not go off without a hitch, but it went fairly well. Looking back, I know I wasn't fully aware of the pioneering spirit of this woman and how she was one of those who led the way to greater freedoms for women. She met with suffragettes so would have been part of the social unrest involved in women receiving the right to vote. I'd like to find that book again and read through it now. I'm sure it would be eye-opening on many levels.

Today's selection presents aspects of being female and being strong and empowered -- and it does it with a fair degree of sarcasm <smile>. Enjoy!

Just a Girl -- No Doubt (w/ Gwen Stefani)