A Litt Bit Of Everything

Holding their hands when they are shaking.

Tucking the sheets around them when they stir during the night.

Traveling long distances just to see them.

Making their favorite meal when they are having a hard day.

Giving them a kiss before going to work and they are still in bed.

Tucking your head into their neck during a hug.

Lightly kissing on top of a freshly formed bruise.

Buying them something unrequested because it made you think of them.

Participating in their hobby even if it doesn’t personally interest you.

Sitting in comfortable silence while eating a meal.

Telling them a dumb joke just to see their smile.

Following their family traditions that they enjoy.

Playing your fingers through their hair while sitting next to them on the couch.

Singing and dancing to their favorite song.

Calming them down when they have a bad dream.

Having a tickle fight until you’re breathless.

Folding their clean laundry and putting it away.

Sharing a soft smile across a crowded room.

Bringing them a plate of their favorite sliced fruit.

Washing their back/hair in the shower.

Sharing your umbrella with them in the rain.

Listening to them while they vent.

Taking a picture together to print and hang later.

Tracing your names together in the sand.

Wearing clothes in their favorite color.

Doing a chore for them that you know they aren’t fond of.

Leaving a plate of food in the microwave for when they have a late shift.

Sharing a drink with them from the same straw.

Tucking their hair behind their ear to help them get it out of their face.

Helping scratch that itch on their back they can’t reach.

Pulling a chair out for them to sit down at the table.

Wrapping a blanket around them when they are sitting on the couch and watching a show.

Throwing away their piles of tissues when they have a cold.

Mending an item of their clothing that was ripped.

Running out in the middle of the night to get a food item they’re craving.

Helping brush their hair after a shower.

Making sure to be quiet while they’re taking a nap.

Letting them warm their cold hands under your shirt.

Giving them your dessert when you eat out because it’s their favorite.

Making a goofy face until they notice and laugh.

Giving them space when they express wanting to have some time alone.

Holding their hand while walking, even if there isn’t a crowd.

Holding shopping bags that are too heavy for them.

Standing between them and a busy road.

Rubbing the back of their hand with a thumb.

Giving them a back massage when they flop on the couch or bed.

Staying up half the night to finish a game with them.

Getting them a coffee just the way they like it.

Giving them a tight hug that makes them lose their breath.

Eartha Kitt spoke four languages and sung in eleven.

She auditioned for the Katherine Dunham school of dance on a dare, made it up as she went, and received a full ride.

Eartha Kitt left to Europe, yes, where her career wasn’t impacted by American black balling, and where the people loved her; and when she finally returned to American media it was as a star in the Broadway musical Timbuktu. MIND YOU, Queen was so iconic that the audience gave a standing ovation the moment she appeared on stage. 10 years of nothing, and these people are falling over her before she opens her mouth.

Eartha Kitt came from nothing, her family used to sell her to people in their county like a work mule. Her mother chose a man over her, and she went to live with a relative who abused her, until she was rescued by another relative who took her in in Harlem. Eartha Kitt lived her youth feeling rejected by everyone around her, and she STILL built herself up.

Eartha Kitt was the voice of Disney villain Yzma in all works that she appeared in (even recording a villain song that never aired as a result of script rewrites called ‘Snuff Out the Light’), she was Madame Zeroni in the ‘Holes’ movie adaptation. For clarification she was the FIRST Catwoman, and she sang the ORIGINAL Santa Baby.

Eartha Kitt was one of the first stars to embrace the concept of sex positivity, and owning the rights to one’s own body and sexuality. She stood up for LGBTQ people because quote

“We are all rejected people, we know what it is to be refused, we know what it is to be oppressed, depressed, and then, accused, and I am very much cognizant of that feeling. Nothing in the world is more painful than rejection. I am a rejected, oppressed person, and so I understand them, as best as I can…”

Eartha Kitt is one hundred percent my hero, a testament to the belief that we never have to be victims of our circumstances. We can be icons regardless of our origin.