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Blog archive

September 2026

August 2026

Triumph Over Tragedy
08/31/2026

Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained/Lost
08/30/2026

A Gallery of Neighbors: The Village Art Group’s Group Show
08/28/2026

A New and Improved Way to Stay Safer Online
08/28/2026

A Trip to The Geffen Galleries
08/28/2026

Barrier Free Living - A Path to Living a More Independent Lifestyle
08/28/2026

Conversations with Art
08/28/2026

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
08/28/2026

Member Connections with Music Conductor Bill Bing
08/28/2026

Pasadena Heritage Walking Tour
08/28/2026

In Their Hands
08/23/2026

Ease of Being: Managing the stuff of everyday life
08/20/2026

A Tribute to Fire Debris Remediators and Their Super-Sized Dump Trucks
08/18/2026

Really Irene?
08/15/2026

There Is A Risk
08/09/2026

2026 Year in Review
08/03/2026

A Message From Your Newly Elected President
08/03/2026

Neighborhoods Within the Village
08/03/2026

Reflection from PUSD Intern Isabella "Izzy" Roberts
08/03/2026

Reflection on Service & Joy from 2025/26 President Dick Myers
08/03/2026

The Villager Engagement Team Welcomed 54 New Villagers
08/03/2026

Treasurer’s Report
08/03/2026

What Activity! The Cultural Activities Team Report
08/03/2026

An Even Exchange
08/01/2026

July 2026

June 2026

May 2026

April 2026

March 2026

February 2026

January 2026

In Their Hands

By Lora Harrington-Pride
Posted: 08/23/2026
Tags: lora harrington pride

Marian had never said, “What if I don’t even like white men?”

Ruth had said that about Black men.  Aside from that, Ruth and Marian’s lives were very similar.  They had even taken the same measures to change their plight.

Ruth made herself available to Black men by moving into a Black neighborhood alone, while Marian made herself available to German men by vacationing every summer in Germany, alone.

German men saw her black skin as beautiful and exotic – a marvelous contrast to their pale Nordic skin.  Remember Grace Jones?

White men rejected Ruth because she was morbidly obese.  Black men rejected Marian because her skin was too dark for them.  So, it didn’t matter to these women why they were wanted – they were wanted where they chose to go.  No more “aloneness.”

German men openly pursued Marian and Black men couldn’t care less that Ruth’s white body was “excessive.”

When Marian took early retirement she moved to Germany, and Ruth found a husband where she lived.

When you look at the 2 women, you come to realize that Ruth’s problem had a solution.  She need only lose the weight, (easy today with Ozempic) and her story would be quite different.

Unfortunately for Marian, only snakes can shed their skin – but even so, the color does not change.  Anyway, all once again, ends well.  Ruth and Marian proved that ultimately, our happiness does not lie in the hands of others.

 

Lora Harrington Pride  8/9/26

 

Read more about Ruth in "An Even Exchange"

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