#mississippiheadwaters

[roughfisher]

Took advantage of one last day in the field for awhile. Hopefully we can resume some sort of normalcy soon and get back to living life. Stay safe and stay healthy my friends. #onlyinmn #mytruenorth #veritascaput #mississippiheadwaters #stayhomeMN (at Headwaters of the Mississippi River at Itasca State Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-OPo0cDdzn/?igshid=1ojbrafnxgn3g

[frankwestpfahl]

Day 214 of 22, #22kill doing #22pushups. I, Frank Westpfahl have completed the FIRST phase of this challenge. However, that has not reduced the 22 AMERICAN VETERANS that will commit suicide TODAY! Phase TWO, I challenge you. I am committing to continue to post 22 push ups everyday as long as 1 person likes my video. We can and should make a difference. Special thanks to all the wonderful people that have joined in the cause to raise awareness and push me to be a better person. Everyone has a purpose! The goal is to raise awareness for our Service Members who are battling this demon. The organizations at the below links are raising the bar in creating a culture that OUR Veterans know their sacrifice was not in vain. To participate visit www.22kill.com Share in this noble cause. This organization promotes Veteran Entrepreneurship. http://www.honorcouragecommitment This organization helps with healing. #pin #twitter #honor #honour #strong #suicideprevention #pushup #pushups #bethebestme #mn #potatodays2016 #potatodays #mississippiheadwaters #itascastatepark #itasca #mississippiriver (at Headwaters of the Mississippi River at Itasca State Park)

[victorialinph-blog]

Loggers threatened to shoot anyone who opened the dam that flooded the pine forrest of Itasca State Park. The first female state park superintendent in Minnesota, Mary Gibbs, risked her life and opened the dam. She wasn’t shot, and she saved the park. She risked her life only after her diplomatic pleas were ignored by loggers. By saving the park, she defied those who said a woman could not manage such a responsibility.

While Mary Gibbs is honored to this day at this park known as the site of the headwaters of the Mississippi River (containing pine trees over 200 years old), when she died her obituary made no mention of her dramatic actions that saved the park. She did something extraordinary that was not recognized as part of her legacy at her death. While that doesn’t minimize the beauty of what she did, nor does it diminish her courage, it does suggest how confounding it can be living as a woman, when gender can affect choices and legacies significantly, whether we acknowledge it or not.

I didn’t know Mary Gibbs, and I only learned what I did about her from a panel in the history museum at the Itasca State Park. Perhaps there were good reasons her obituary only mentioned her motherhood and not the fact that she saved a state park. Although I suspect any reasons were complicated because I know my gender complicates the way I interact with my family, friends, and communities.

Some women are too embarrassed to mention their accomplishments. Some of us minimize what we can do. So many women are trying not to be too much of anything. Don’t be too smart or too dumb or too pretty or too ugly. Don’t be too fat or too thin or too loud or too quiet. And heaven forbid, don’t be too innocent or too experienced or too passive or too ambitious. Perhaps Mary Gibbs was like some women of today, avoiding any possibility of too muchness. Often, women are trained to downplay their skills and successes. Many of us internalize notions that it is wrong to assert ourselves, especially after we do choose to assert ourselves. This affects the roles we play personally and professionally 

I wonder what it would be like to stop worrying about being too much and do everything I set my mind to do. All of it. What if I didn’t spend so much time chastising myself about being too emotional or too curious or too opinionated or too introspective or too risky? I am certain the energy I waste on worrying about being too much could be put to better purposes. I suspect I could accomplish even more amazing things than I already do. I bet I would find I am more powerful that I believe I am. I am sure it would cost me (I am not naive), but I suspect any gain would be worth it. After all, what if Mary Gibbs decided it was too much to open that dam.....

[jessicabrookesparkhill]

Family Vacation. www.jessica365.com by Jessica Brookes-Parkhill