The defining moment in my life that shifted the way I was thinking...and brought me to ubuntu.
Great question. Tough to answer.
In the sense of living and breathing and working and playing.
On this lovely day after International Women's Day, I felt compelled to find another way to express my gratitude for the women in my life. Of course, Rumi hits yet another chord in my heart with this quote.
I have spent the weekend with some glorious women. The sunshine came out on Friday in time for me to have special one-on-one bbq time with a friend whom will be leaving soon to move onto another grand adventure into love. I got to enjoy the seed swap, veggie growing workshop, and a planning session at an adorable cafe with another lovely lady. I am just heading to the Women's Shelter booth for a couple of hours to chat International Women's Day with lovely women. And tomorrow I'm off in the sunshine to snowshoe with a great friend and her lovely parents. And perhaps the most delightful Women's Day surprise - I was able to catch a soul friend of mine on Skype at her hostel in Mexico, whose face I haven't seen in over a year.
In all of the coming together of creative, beautiful women in my life, I see that there are so many ways we tend to express our love and gratitude to each other. It's a change from teenager life, when you simply commented the outside, "I love your haircut!" "Your shoes are amaze," and, "your boyfriend is like, soo cute." Now, as women, we tend to express our love from the inside out. We remember each others favourite foods and plan parties to celebrate love. We admire each other's internal strength - and tell each other often. We inspire each other with creative pursuits. We create special groups on social media avenues to keep updated (hey, time is tight and it can be hard to keep up with everyone!) We have phone calls and Skype and snail mail packages full of inspiration.
But mainly, the thing that always gives me the most gratitude for the women in my life at this age, is that we really talk. We talk about life and love and how we are really feeling about it all. We ask each other challenging questions and hear what is underneath regular tones. We worry about each other and try to nurture one another when someone is feeling blue. My relationships with the incredible women in my life are simply vital to my existence. So vital, in fact, that I feel like weekly wine dates or lunches are enough to get me through simply anything. We will fall and we'll pick each other up. It's no secret that these are relationships to treat like gardens....to water and watch them flower and sometimes they go through seasons (like not seeing one of your best friends faces for a year), but they are steadfast and always there when you need them to nourish you.
I know that expressing gratitude for those women in my life is vital to my heart and yet, because the women I love are all over this globe, it's not always easy. I get to see some of my friends and family only periodically, but when I do, it's like absolutely nothing changes. And all this technology makes it a bit easier to feel like we are engaged in each other's lives...however nothing beats sitting down with a glass of wine or a pot of tea. I've found that there are literally hundreds of thousands of ways let my heart speak to them. To continue to show the gratitude.
So, that is what I will continue to strive for. Women in my world, please know your value to me and to the world. Let's empower each other to grow and learn and be leaders in our communities and businesses and on a global scale. That's what International Women's Day is really about and (excuse the feminist plug) we have come a long way, haven't we?
If you don't know how to thank the women in your life for just being there, look to the heart. Or the chocolate. Or the wine. Somewhere in there, you will find a way. Or hundreds of thousands.
Love to you glorious goddesses today!
I have spent the weekend with some glorious women. The sunshine came out on Friday in time for me to have special one-on-one bbq time with a friend whom will be leaving soon to move onto another grand adventure into love. I got to enjoy the seed swap, veggie growing workshop, and a planning session at an adorable cafe with another lovely lady. I am just heading to the Women's Shelter booth for a couple of hours to chat International Women's Day with lovely women. And tomorrow I'm off in the sunshine to snowshoe with a great friend and her lovely parents. And perhaps the most delightful Women's Day surprise - I was able to catch a soul friend of mine on Skype at her hostel in Mexico, whose face I haven't seen in over a year.
In all of the coming together of creative, beautiful women in my life, I see that there are so many ways we tend to express our love and gratitude to each other. It's a change from teenager life, when you simply commented the outside, "I love your haircut!" "Your shoes are amaze," and, "your boyfriend is like, soo cute." Now, as women, we tend to express our love from the inside out. We remember each others favourite foods and plan parties to celebrate love. We admire each other's internal strength - and tell each other often. We inspire each other with creative pursuits. We create special groups on social media avenues to keep updated (hey, time is tight and it can be hard to keep up with everyone!) We have phone calls and Skype and snail mail packages full of inspiration.
But mainly, the thing that always gives me the most gratitude for the women in my life at this age, is that we really talk. We talk about life and love and how we are really feeling about it all. We ask each other challenging questions and hear what is underneath regular tones. We worry about each other and try to nurture one another when someone is feeling blue. My relationships with the incredible women in my life are simply vital to my existence. So vital, in fact, that I feel like weekly wine dates or lunches are enough to get me through simply anything. We will fall and we'll pick each other up. It's no secret that these are relationships to treat like gardens....to water and watch them flower and sometimes they go through seasons (like not seeing one of your best friends faces for a year), but they are steadfast and always there when you need them to nourish you.
I know that expressing gratitude for those women in my life is vital to my heart and yet, because the women I love are all over this globe, it's not always easy. I get to see some of my friends and family only periodically, but when I do, it's like absolutely nothing changes. And all this technology makes it a bit easier to feel like we are engaged in each other's lives...however nothing beats sitting down with a glass of wine or a pot of tea. I've found that there are literally hundreds of thousands of ways let my heart speak to them. To continue to show the gratitude.
So, that is what I will continue to strive for. Women in my world, please know your value to me and to the world. Let's empower each other to grow and learn and be leaders in our communities and businesses and on a global scale. That's what International Women's Day is really about and (excuse the feminist plug) we have come a long way, haven't we?
If you don't know how to thank the women in your life for just being there, look to the heart. Or the chocolate. Or the wine. Somewhere in there, you will find a way. Or hundreds of thousands.
Love to you glorious goddesses today!
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