Nothing says America like the flag. Don’t remember how to fold a flag? That may be because you may be a girl and until fairly recently girls weren’t allowed to even touch the flag let alone fold it. Before the days when women drove Army tanks-one of the greatest affronts to feminism since silicon boobs-in my humble hippychick opinion-only men and boys were allowed to handle Old Glory. The irony in that is that the credit for designing and making the first American flag is attributed to Betsy Ross, a woman.
However, the consensus among those who have investigated the Betsy Ross legend-like us for example-is that it may be just that-a legend: a non-verifiable story handed down from generation to generation, and one Betsy may have started herself. No one really knows why Betsy decided that she needed to take credit for the stars and stripes. We think she was probably burned by one of the founding fathers-”a woman scorned” sort of thing. No one will ever really know but we find it fascinating and remarkable that even though all evidence suggests that Betsy Ross didn’t design or stitch the first American flag, everyone that attended an American elementary school was taught and likely continues to believe that she did?
Could that sort of thing happen today? Could we all be duped into believing that a woman on the fringes of politics, that did in actuality, do absolutely nothing of historical significance, could end up with an enduring legacy of outstanding achievement? Naw.
Since that first push for American independence from England we have as a nation continued to fight for Old Glory or some such myth, on various and sundry foreign soils. Many of us continue to fight internally, waging war on our bodies and in our minds with self-deprecating thoughts that rob us of our power. Our wish for you this day is that you might find a peaceful path into a more harmonious relationship with yourself and then raise that flag. Begin your own fabulous life legend and let your legacy of self love and inner freedom be as bold and lasting as ole Betsy’s. May it fly across the world bringing independence to all beings, from deception, oppression and, violence.
