All in a name

I guess I should explain the name. "The Dissident Daughter" comes from a book that I read about a year ago called "The Dance of the Dissident Daughter" by Sue Monk Kidd (author of "The Secret Life of Bees.")


The book is about the awakening of the female spirituality. It has meant a great deal to me. One thing that the book taught me is that women don't have to act like men in order to be equal to them. The stereotypical man who is successful at work is driven, hard nosed and dominant. A woman who acts in such a fashion is often viewed as a B****. In order to be most successful women do not have to act the same as a man. Being equal to a man does not mean acting the same. And that doesn't mean their behavior is bad, just different.

That was a freeing thing to me, and I think I've begun to exemplify some of those characteristics. Just the other day my co-worker was talking to me about women reporters covering the police beat. He said that generally there are two types of women reporters doing it successfully. One is the bats-their-eyes-and-flirts-acts-innocent-and-dumb type. The other is the acts-like-a-guy-trades-dirty-joke-for-dirty-joke type. Then he said, "you of course are the exception." I happily admit I think he is right. Somehow I have managed to get the respect and response out of the police agencies without acting dumb or acting like a guy.

So all that to say, I think I'm getting there. I want to be totally ME. I want to exude confidence and happiness and to feel both completely.