Girlie vs. Grungy is something I have struggled with my whole life. (What a hard life eh?) The struggle comes from who I am verses how I was raised. Also, I should note that by 'Grungy' I mean tomboy, rough and tumble, not crusty gross.
Being raised as a missionary kid in the jungles of Papua New Guinea is pretty much the prerequisite for being a tomboy. Let me tell you, a girlie-girl could not handle that kind of upbringing! I was also raised in a family of 3 men (my dad and two brothers) and a tomboy mother. We got down with the grunge on a daily basis and pink was not in our vocabulary or color scheme.
As a child of the jungle I grew up with pocket knives and packs of matches. These were my toys...along with one doll that a grandmother had made me. We made slingshots and bows and arrows. I could build a fire by the age of 8 along with a jungle shelter made of sticks and leaves to protect myself from afternoon torrential downpours.
It was a fantastic childhood. I did not want for anything...except a barbie. Despite the fun that I had growing up in the jungle with pocket knives and matches, occasionally I felt like I was missing something. I desperately wanted a barbie, and colorful skirts made me happier than anything. Girlie things just were not a part of my life though, so I never realized that I may be a girlie-girl at heart.
I had wonderful roomates who took me under their wings and taught me everything 'girl' there is to know. I finally let myself lose a bit of the grunge and enjoy the girl part of life. It was divine! Since college though, it has all been on me to maintain it. No more personal girl-trainers for me. It is up to me to maintain the girl, or let the grunge take over.
Then came marriage. I married a wonderful outdoorsy guy. He brings out the best of the grunge in me and sometimes it threatens to take over. Then I get a girlie urge and realize that the girlie side has always been there. So I am a person with two opposite traits, girlie vs. grungy. It is a constant struggle for me to to balance the two while never letting one take over. I love my grungy live it up, camp it out, dirt under my nails side, but I also enjoy the clean girl in a pink dress with painted nails and brushed hair side. I guess it is all about moderation and continuing to learn who I am.
What about you? Do you have any opposite traits that you struggle with?
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