Thursday, June 7, 2012

Celebrating Feminine Camaraderie!

Female Solidarity = Girl Power!

With age, I’m steadily gaining wisdom.  This, I know most assuredly.  The strongest example I can provide is my more recent realization of how very, very much feminine camaraderie there is in the world.

My discovery of this was reached as a result of my online interactions; where the encouragement and kindness I have found has been remarkably amazing.  Sure, some of my contacts are from beloved family and dear friends (which are every bit as valuable to me!).  What has opened my eyes, though, is how folks, who I have only met via the online sphere, can touch my soul so deeply through their ongoing, extraordinary expressions of friendship and support of my artistic endeavors.  Most are women on journeys similar to mine who are expressing themselves creatively, yearning to live a more mindful life and seeking the joy found within a community of women who truly embody the term “sisterhood.” 

I try to focus on the positive.  But, historically, when asked the question of whether or not women stand in solidarity, my mind has generally raced toward those isolated instances of interactions that were less than pleasant.  Many have been encountered in the workplace, and, most sadly, too many of them have been with fellow femmes. I have worked in corporate, government and non-profit settings.  And, although most of the unsavory stuff occurred in the corporate realm, I have experienced a spot of unpleasantness in all three settings (along with others as well, of course). 

When I stop and ponder the issue further, though; I know the reality of the situation is quite different.  Over the years, there have been far more occasions of fellowship, support and joy experienced than not—and the lion’s share of this has most definitely come from other women.  In fact, some of my closest friends are women I have met as a result of my professional undertakings.  My “aha” comes from a realization that there are many, many more of us women willing to be allies to one another than not.  This understanding has become more visible to me as a result of the wonderful things I have witnessed in these past few months via this blog and over the last several years on Twitter.  It has exceeded my most ideal of expectations.

The action I am taking, now, is to banish the small number of negative memories I am holding onto—no longer give them importance.  Yup, I am replacing them with the abundantly present, brighter ones—granting them the weight they so rightly deserve.  By doing so, I am acknowledging the strong predominance of feminine camaraderie in this world.  The impetus for this comes from the assortment of splendid things that have happened, right here, online.  

Thanks, Friends, for your part in this!  Joy, peace and happy "little Friday!" T.