I declared 2017 the Year of the Phenomenal Woman. And it was.
It was so phenomenal, I decided to continue it this year.
Folks like to say, "What a difference a day makes." And that's true. A day of failure and tears can turn into a week of accomplishment and joy, because you took that failure and throttled it to the ground.
Alternatively, a day of joy and achievement, can turn into a dark day of despair, if you hear one accusing comment from someone you love.
My sign...my She Thought She Could and So She Did is packed away, but it pulses as a living, breathing thing in my bosom. My heart hears the whisper every morning. In fact, it's a big reason I sit in this chair and type away several times a week. I think of things, and then I do them.
Around Thanksgiving time last year, I thought about family a lot. That's the big holiday of the year for us. We tend to gravitate to family, wherever they are. Granted, it's not the same as it was when the kids were young. We had a nice group of 50 or more then. We rented a church hall. There was laughter and storytelling and lots of good food. The women prepared the food, and the men cleaned up afterwards.
As I was enjoying the holiday, back in November 2017, I began to feel a need build in my heart. A need to return home. A need to be, once again, as close to family as possible. At the time, I lived in Colorado and family, well, most of them lived in New York, with my brother in North Carolina.
My Mom was gone. My Dad was gone. The emptiness left behind was like a knot that would not be untied.
What if... I began to wonder. What if something happened to one of my siblings? The travel from CO to NY has become so onerous, I began to get a little panicky in thinking of what I would do if any member of the family took ill, and I needed to get home. But, mostly my siblings. We're close. I have three sisters and a brother. And, there was the sadness of having lost two of Tom's siblings to the Universe. His brother is in NY. With his family.
"It's time to go home," I said to Tom. We have a beautiful new home here, in CO, but we can have a beautiful new home there, in NY, too. And, it will be near family. Near the grandchildren we don't get to see enough of. Near our friends back home. And near the brothers and sisters who mean so much to us.
And so, the sign She Thought She Could and So She Did is packed away, with most of our books, and much of our other 'things'. We have sold our house. We will find a new, wonderful home, in NY, soon.
There are many ways to be a Phenomenal Woman. Most of them involve looking outside of yourself, allowing the Universe to guide you. I often think of the Phenomenal Women I know, and I feel honored to know them. My sisters, my daughters, many friends, and so many nieces, it's truly hard to keep track. Phenomenal women all.
I think of the phenomenal women I will meet. On this new journey home, I am opening myself totally to the Universe. I am ready for another adventure, full of the angst, the worry, the tears, the pain, all leading to joy and delight and happiness. Because the Universe doesn't promise us laughter. It promises us chaos. And, it sends whispered invitations to the party.
Where you sit, and who you meet, and how you enjoy the party, is up to you. (I say, bring some confetti)
I declare 2018 the Year of the Phenomenal Woman because I am marching into the party, into the chaos, to celebrate phenomenal women everywhere. And I'm not leaving until I meet all of you.
Come say hello.
