Gloria Steinem-feminist activist, writer, and leader–co-founded Ms. Magazine and recently wrote My Life on the Road.
Her reflections about her life can also shape your thinking.
You can talk about your parents who used to embarrass you. Steinem’s father was a wanderer who, when winter began, grabbed his family and headed south. Except sometimes they left so fast that dirty dishes were left in the sink along with half-eaten food. At one point, her father was so obese that the driver’s side of the car dipped. Over time, Steinem thought she received things from her father like the excitement of travel and a sense of optimism. Now I can feel better mentioning the embarrassing house dress/polyester pants combination my mother always wore.
Bookstores are your town square. Ever been to Europe and seen groups of people talking in city squares? Or perhaps you’re lucky enough to have a place like Pioneer Square in Portland? If you don’t have a town square, where else but in bookstore do you find such diverse ideas and a wide range of people? “A bookstore is one of the only pieces of evidence that people are still thinking,” says Jerry Steinfeld.
Adventure starts the minute you leave your door. Steinem doesn’t drive, she takes taxis. Fascinating taxi drivers she’s encountered included the man with the mobile art studio who offered to draw her hands for $30.00. Or the woman who displayed photos of her old lovers and said “the path to ecstatic sex lies through spirituality.” Who could argue with that?