💜 When Mariah sang, “All I want for Christmas is youuuuuu”, we all tapped our toes and sung along. It reminded us of love, Love Actually, glistening with all the joy and tinsel.
🛌 But right now, across the country, there are millions of Irish women asking for something else this Christmas: REST!
Luckily in Ireland we have Nollaig na Mban, January 6th, a traditional day of rest to end the Christmas season culminating in the Epiphany. Traditionally it was a day off for women, to put their feet up, have a cuppa with some cake, and generally back away from the mop.
But we all know that’s not possible nowadays. Women aren’t ever given a day off. Unless we ask for it. And even then the phone texts come in mid massage: Where’s my sports bag? Naturally women know the answers to these questions and not the reason why they just walked into the living room…
📊All joking aside, women need a break. Now. The payment equity is one thing, but it’s the distribution of daily labour in the house that (generally) falls into the laps of women. While women may be free to work outside the home, inside the home, laundry is also hers to do as well as the cooking and cleaning.
The cost of this ‘free’ labour is showing up as burnout. Even though January 6th is marked as our day off, it will no doubt be back to work, school runs etc. Few of us have the luxury to take a whole day off. Ironically our modern lives demand more of our work selves….
🐄I don’t have an easy fix to this. I don’t think we can go backwards to milking cows and digging cabbage (although there are many who are returning to that!). Besides, many of us LOVE our work and businesses.
All I know is that many of you just keep going. Sure what other choice is there?
I know so many of you are incredibly strong- not just in body- but in your mind! Women’s healthcare doesn’t get nearly the support it deserves. I am waiting to hear, like so many of you, what our government will do to make HRT free- as was declared in meetings last year. Part of the reason why I formulated my fabÜ SHROOMS MENO & PERI was I knew that women were left waiting, or left out in the cold altogether when it comes to midlife healthcare support. I wanted to change that and offer women something to help them feel like themselves again.
💜 Let’s hope this legislation to support women’s healthcare comes through as promised, but in the meantime, let’s keep looking after ourselves, championing each other, reaching out for help and taking the time outs we need and DESERVE whether it’s Nollaig na mBan or any other day!
(FYI I have been known to HIDE in the laundry room…. Piles of towels provide excellent coverage!)
Look after yourselves,
Laura x
