Domestic Diva

I don’t know what qualifies me to brand myself as a “domestic diva”. I just thought it made for a catchy title. In all seriousness – this blog is about exploring my definition of being domesticated. I’m a wife after all, so I’m supposed to embrace this new found role of mine – part of which includes getting in touch with my inner domestic …DIVA.

Being domesticated – these days – could conjure up some negative connotations. The root of the word itself means “to tame” as if I was some wild animal before I got hitched (I would never admit that anyway). The dictionary also defines domestication as “home-loving or housewifely.”

For years – as a single woman with a demanding career – I prided myself on being independent.

“All the women who are independent, throw your hands up at me…” yes that would be ME, flailing my arms – singing along to the Destiny’s Child song with my girlfriends.

Marriage changed everything I thought a wife should be or is supposed to be in the 21st century. The role I defined in my mind as this self-sufficient young woman was cast aside when I jumped head first, into the deep waters of this thing called matrimony.

You’ll find many women from different walks of life opining about how to be a wife. I won’t go there yet. Not with just 6 months under my belt. But here’s something I’ve learned along the way – which may not sound so profound to those lovebirds who have been bound by their vows for decades – marriage isn’t about ME is it? Slithering through my selfishness and shedding my old skin has led me here, where for the first time I am embracing this thing called femininity. It was buried deep – underneath rock hard rubble – from years of being so self-reliant.

Somehow I’ve discovered being domesticated dances closely in tandem with a woman’s femininity. My femininity anyway.

Never did I think I would enjoy gardening so much.

That’s really all this post was about by the way. My adventures in gardening and how much I enjoyed it. You don’t have to be a wife or a woman to enjoy tending a garden. I know this. I’m just saying it took marriage to get me to this realization. Marriage is teaching me to embrace all the things I put off …because I’ve been “too busy” working.

XOX, Nineveh