Strength

I started to leave this as a comment on my friend Libbie's blog but realized that I should use it as a post for my blog instead.

You know how long winded I can be.

You can go here to read Libbie's post which, funny as these things sometimes are, was inspired by a post of one of her friends.

I guess you could think of this as one of those really nice Circle-Of-Life things.

This beautifully written post really resonated with me today. Not just the words, as uplifting as they are, but for me the timing as well.

I just got home from a trip to get some blood drawn and then a bit of shopping to make it all better, and, while driving home, I started thinking how every single person I had contact with today was a woman.
I felt good that I had been sure to be as kind and grateful as possible to each of them,
especially the one who had to poke me twice because she couldn't get blood on her first try.

Anyway, I started thinking about how much strength there is in womanhood, but also how for some weird reason, women also seem to be hardwired to distrust and be overly judgemental of each other.

How sad that is.

Most often, during the first twenty years or so of a woman's life, the public schooling years to be even more specific, if a girl is being bullied, belittled, shamed, or in any other way mistreated by her peers, it is almost always at the hand of other girls.

Why is it that, so often, instead of being loyal, helpful and supportive of each other, our first instinct upon coming into contact with a woman we don't know is to size her up.

Is she more attractive than me? Deduct ten points.
Better dressed? Lop off another fifteen.
Better educated? Better hair? Nicer shoes? More at ease?

Left unchecked, these primal feelings can turn into feelings of mistrust and dislike before the "competition" has even uttered a complete greeting.

Why do we do this to each other?

I find myself seething with anger when I think of all the injustice that has been rained down on women since almost the beginning of time.

But I sometimes wonder, is it possible that our courser instinct to distrust and have contempt for each other, could be, even a miniscule factor, in the way that women have historically been treated as inferior to men.

There is strength in numbers after all.

When women band together, when we learn to accept and appreciate each other for not only those traits we have in common but for the differences we have as unique individuals.

Good things happen.

I think of my daughters, I include my beloved daughter-in-law in the tally. I think of my mother and grandmothers. My sisters and two cherished sister-in-laws.

My aunts and cousins.

And then I move on to my friends.

Those that I know well, as well as those I assume, some might think of as mere acquaintances.

To me they will be counted as friends.

The women that I have gotten to know that work at some of my favorite shopping spots.

Shelly, Caroline, Ruthie, at JoAnns.

Dandi, who never groans or rolls her eyes when I bring, yet another thing with the tag missing, back to Shopko.

Sue at Target, who every time I'm in her line, asks about my daughter Courtney, who hasn't worked there for over a year, but Sue still asks after her and I know for a fact that her inquiries are genuine and sincere.

The women, who's names I can't remember, who do remember me, at the Fred Meyer Pharmacy.

Yolanda, today at Penny's who was so helpful and pleasant.
Don't worry,
I WILL do the survey,
I WILL mark Highly Satisfied for each question and I
WILL write in your name!

So many women in my life.

Sisters.

All of them sisters.

Even the few women that for whatever reason I may not particularly like.

After all, we can't love everyone. (Just being honest here.)

But I do know that if it ever came down to a matter of life and death, if it was within my power to make the world right, even for one of those sisters that I don't really like.

I hope that I could come through for them. Could I? Would I?

Should I?

The answer is obvious.

Yes. I should. We are sisters.

We can either be our own worst enemies or each other's greatest strength. I will try to always remember this. No matter the situation. Carry on Sister, and don't worry.

We'll always have your back!