Thanks, my friend! January 11

If you're lucky, inspiration seeps through Facebook. It can sometimes put a smile on your face and a plan in your mind even if you don't have the source near to give you the good vibes. That's the case with my now online friend and former yoga instructor, Meg, who moved away and left me in metaphorical tears by doing so.
Some of my yogic calm went with her, but she left a legacy I can still  conjure up from time to time.
Meg left a strong impression with her personality's ever present positivity. Her example keeps me striving to be mindfully at peace and in the moment. During yoga, my otherwise-should-be-blank mind goes back to her coaxing to concentrate on your breathing and heed only your own practice, no one else's. Her instruction spoiled me on future yoga instructors, left me wanting in comparison to Meg's classes.
This woman is a hugely talented writer as well whose humor jumps from the screen when I have the happy occasion to find something new of hers online. The creative fictional pieces make me literally lol, which is so fun in otherwise spirit-sucking days of mundane activity or bad-news bombardment. I want to share the wealth, so try some for yourself at The Nervous Breakdown. I promise you'll be glad you did.
Her more personal posts reveal a strong mother, a woman whose life experiences were character building, an anti-crazymaker. Humble honesty is apparent through her words. You get the gist of what she's all about from any of her postings.
Meg seems a master in rolling with the punches. Her generous spirit is palpable, and she shares with anyone lucky enough to be around her. Our loss in the Midwest is the gain of her new-ish west coast friends. You can imagine he truth of that statement simply from her Twitter bio:
Health Coach. Author of Salad Alchemy. Writer of other things. Curator of beautiful. In service to you.
Meg's website intimates her many qualities. She has a blithe spirit who left a great impression on me. I hope to always remember her serene example. Thanks, woman - carry on!

It's important to take a few minutes to tell someone how important they are to you. Tell a friend you love her -- do it now!

Thanks, my friend! (June 13)

In the spirit of supporting each other as women and citizens of the universe, I accidentally on purpose started what I hope to continue as a weekly a meme.  The great people at MissRepresentation.org encourage us to recognize other women for their special qualities.
    
This week I want to put my sister, Christy, in the spotlight.  She is the person who taught me to read, and she continues to be a source of learning and great inspiration.  Christy worked hard to put herself through the University of Missouri while employed part- and full-time.  She then moved to St. Louis and eventually made her way to California.  
It was her life-long dream to live by the ocean, as she could not settle for living in the Midwest.  Some people are just not meant to suffer through cold winters.  She has lived in her CA haven for almost 30 years now.  We drove half-way across the United States to get her there back in the early '90s. That was quite a ride!  
Working her regular multitude of jobs, Christy has continued to teach fitness classes, do massage, and aid in physical therapy.  I think she found her life's calling in physical wellness.  She is also an experienced cat-care expert and has done feral cat rescue for several years.  The feline world has a heroine in her, too.  
As if caring for others isn't enough, she has the somewhat  double-edged distinction of being a cancer survivor.  Christy's diagnosis was a defining moment for our family.  I will never take health for granted, and thank the universe for every day she is on this earth to share her life with us.  She fought through surgery, chemotherapy and recovery without the bitterness and cynicism most of us would profess to the world.
It gave me gave pause to think of my sister grinding through her spin classes while I mentally whined about my simple step aerobics.  I often chided myself that, "Christy can teach spin, and I can't get through this?"  She is an inspiration of strength and determination.  
Many adventures and much laughter mark our past (my 21st birthday, Tiki island, canoe trips, a head full of seagull poop, et al), and I look forward to a wild array of more together.  Christy is a powerful force to behold.  I salute my sistah and thank her for being one of my biggest supporters and a great friend!  


Please share your feelings for an important woman in your life.  Use the little "here's to you" image at the top of this page if you'd like.  It only takes a second to tell someone how important they are.

Us v. Them

I am baffled by the in-fighting between women.  It seems no matter where you go it's always there,  a party, a new job, the swimming pool.  A lot of women, maybe not all, put other women under such a critical microscope.  There is an unrelenting competition going on here.  
As much as I try not to participate, I catch myself in negatively divisive thought.  "Oh, look at her! Such a young, beautiful woman with such an awful tattoo."  Or, "Dang ... she's too old to be wearing that!"  It's her business, not mine.  I make assumptions based on first impressions way too much.  People may make similar pre-judgments of me, too, which isn't fair.  And such over-emphasis placed on looks and youth.  So superficial.     
MissRepresentation encourages us:

"For the next week, let's all make a concerted effort to see women as allies instead of enemies; and let's stop judging other women for their success, their talents or their looks."

The newsletter suggests the "assumption of scarcity and the feeling that there isn't enough room for all of us" is the impetus of such competitive judgement.  There seems to be some unnatural criticism that I can't fully understand, almost as if we're pitting against one another for ubiquitous attention from an unknown force.  Is it innate?  I hope not.  It seems we are cultured to be catty, and we have to end the vicious circle with our own self-realization to stop acting this way.  

Instead, I'd like to hope there are many more women like Marina Keegan, a young Yale writer, who tragically lost her life just days after graduation.  Her last essay, The Opposite of Lonely, has gone viral since her untimely death.  She said, "We can’t, we MUST not lose this sense of possibility because in the end, it’s all we have.

Such positivity!  Her wonderful attitude and hope scream from the page.  She had such great plans for her future.  Regardless of a grim job outlook for new college grads in sketchy economic times.  I think she spoke to the universal human experience, one where we must help sustain each other.  

This kind of unity and support is what I wish was viral.  People uplifting each other with great expectations for themselves and humankind.  Young women reaching out to other young women to seek out the positive aspects within their time on earth and not hatefully compete with each other.  May we all have tomorrows to do so.