12 Jan Monthly Worthy Women Post: Starting this month!

I LOVE women. And like the great Chris Dennler said, “All women are beautiful.”  I can whole-heartedly see what he’s talking about. But I have to admit this honor and respect for the female did not always exist in me how it does now. Unlike a lot of little girls, when I was little I wasn’t into “girly” things. I had a major aversion to pink and was a tom-boy, always outside and dirty, and kicking and screaming most of the time when I had to wear a skirt.  Admission: I am still a tom-boy at heart, and often dirty and outside at 38 years of age. That part hasn’t changed.

I have always had good girlfriends that I really loved and trusted, but in general much preferred the direct no “b.s”  way that boys had about them. But as I grew older, something started to shift…my friendships with women became more sacred, and this continues to develop today.  My “tribe” has become women that I look up to and am inspired by because of who they are…they come in all shades and with different personalities and preferences. They do not all know each other personally and some are extremely different from others, especially on the outside. Some live far and our correspondence is few and far between, and some live close and we check in several times a week. But that is not what this is all about. It’s that connection with a woman that usually happens instantly when you meet her, it’s almost like that same spark when you meet a love interest, just a different kind. Of course it can also happen where your relationship with her unfolds over time and you realize this later. But when it happens instantly, I have rarely been wrong. It’s that women’s intuition thing, as trite as it sounds.

That is what I have come to understand as the foundation and beauty of the love of women for other women.  We feel each other and know things without saying them or hearing them. We check-in and support each other. We talk about all the details, I mean every.single.detail  when even the best man might be snoozing with boredom. We tell each other we are beautiful. Men have their own special ways of connecting with each other and with us too, which is definitely inspiring to see and cherished as well. But this is a blog for women celebrating women, so that’s what I’m focusing on here 🙂

Women are mysterious and intriguing, and I love to watch how many of them choose to navigate their way through this ever-changing world.  We are all, men and women, going for a paradigm shift; that’s not easy. And we are all certainly going through our own personal struggles.  I am going to talk about the women that are evolving from the struggle with a special flair.  At first I worded it as ‘making the best of it’ but that’s not exactly what I mean. Not grinning and bearing it-but having the courage to actually go THROUGH instead of around to get to the other side. These women might be working through a challenge zone most every single day; you might have no idea.  These women are the women that have the bravery to make their life about the lesson and the learning…and eventually the looking back and smiling on it all for happening, no matter how hard it was. Because there is always an offering of joy beneath every test. We just have to  find it.

I have decided to feature these women, my every day heroines and inspirations. Some I have known for years, some new friends, and some I have admired from afar… I will pick every one of you women out there if you give me time, because I see something beautiful in every single one of you. But I am purposely going to pick from a variety of career, purpose and style. I’m also going to allow it to flow and change if that feels right, but for now I will feature one woman a month in the same format, asking the same three questions to all the women and share their answers, un-edited:

Who are you?

What is the greatest challenge you have overcome/are overcoming?

What have you learned?

(Simple questions aren’t always easy to answer).

My hope is that this monthly recognition of the full range of the Feminine inspires you, enlightens you, and maybe even comforts you in some way, whether you are a man or a woman.

Sat Nam,

Elise

*the term Worthy Women was inspired by and is credited to Betsy Finkeloo