Think Like Rowena

My whole life, I grew up hearing, "Now, what would Rowena do?" or "Think like Rowena." In case you were wondering, Rowena Jenkins is a wonderful friend of our family. Rowena and David met my mom and dad when they were all just married and living at West Point. For the last 30 years (at least) our two families have gone to the beach every year for a week.

Rowena is a saint on earth. She is incredibly sweet, kind, and most of all helpful. Even though she and my mom would go for a year without seeing each other, they would work like a well oiled machine when they were at the beach together. My mom credited this to Rowena always thinking, "What needs to be done next?" Although I resented every time my mom use to say "Think like Rowena" while growing up, I have found that after hearing it thousands of times and now living on my own, I really do think more like Rowena. I (usually) notice what needs to be done and I do it. I am so lucky to have married Kyle who is also good at seeing what needs to be done and doing it.

Rowena is on my mind because I just finished helping out with an event tonight. It was run by several women, but one woman's husband was there also. As we were cleaning up, there were several heavy tables that needed to be moved. The husband helped out with one table and then stood to the side watching us clean up after that. I was most shocked when he watched his wife and I move one table, walk right back past him, and move the next table, all as he stood back and watched us the whole time with a beer in his hand. I know Kyle is my husband and I am biased and also that I am from the South where we are used to a bit of chivalry, but I can not imagine Kyle ever standing by and watching a woman lift a heavy table and not offer to help.

So next time you are at an event, don't just stand around. Say, "What can I do next?" and think like Rowena!