This theme has been running through my head for a number of months now… 

Imagine if we surrounded ourselves with a group of women (whether it’s 3 or 12) who supported and encouraged each other…  rather than competed against each other, tore each other down and pitted each other against other women.   Imagine the change we could bring about in this world… and to have done it TOGETHER! 

We are a strange creature… we are emotional and nonchalant, strong and weak at times, reliable and flighty, chaotic and highly organized, driven and yet so lazy sometimes… we are over-joyed AND hurt to the point of tears, we long for time to ourselves, we beat ourselves up and tear each other down, we think too highly of ourselves and so little of each other, we talk ABOUT each other and hurt FOR each other, we want to walk arm-in-arm and yet sometimes we just need our space.  We like pretty things and gritty things, we love sharing in the excitement of our friends’ lives and then feel a little jealous about it too… we hold each other at arms’ length and then feel lonely because WE set up those boundaries.  We doubt ourselves and yet put up a strong front that we’ve got it all put together.  We sit around and complain about our lot in life instead of banding together and taking action to improve it.

Strange creatures… I mutter to myself, a woman guilty of most of these things myself.

I read somewhere that we compare the grit (the background/noise) of our lives to the highlight reels of someone else’s .. and then beat ourselves up over the fact that we can’t portray the same image. 

Why do we do these things?   We as “creatures” aren’t looking so lovely right now, are we?!

So, here is Lori’s blog challenge (you know you can count on that in most posts)…

• Find a way to earnestly support  a fellow “creature”, in both good/bad times
• Encourage her and be her friend, in both good/bad moments
• Place a phone call, write a letter, check in on her
• Ask how you can support your fellow creatures
• Share in her joys/cry with her, in good and bad times
• Hold her accountable to her dreams, goals and friendship
• Think about how you can improve someone else’s life instead of searching out what you want

Imagine if we could come together, arm-in-arm and solve problems together, play and laugh with each other, meet goals together, grow old together…

I find myself privileged to have a group of about 12 women, not all of them know each other, whom I have chosen to be a part of my circle.   Some of them are play friends, some of them are work friends, some have been in my life for over a decade while others are new to my circle, some of them support my creative habits and are happy for my successes, some of them cry with me, and yet others are there through thick and thin and keep me grounded.  Each one is a vital part of my life … and I look forward to seeing how my friendships grow and mature and change in the years to come.

OK girls… Let’s go save the world, TOGETHER!!!