The Compassionate Connection Between Women

Inspiration for women entrepreneurs and females

(My good friend Jill Bates showed up to hug me at the 23 mile of my Boston Marathon race).

My Thursday blog posts are dedicated to women supporting women in life. The topics of the blog posts will be unique as I journey through everyday life touched by women I know well, women I meet by fate or inspirational female stories I witness or read about. I believe our world will be more beautiful sharing stories of women supporting women in business, sports, equality and life. Today’s post is about life.

Yesterday, I entered a sterile laboratory to have blood drawn for my nine month struggle with Alopecia Areata which has stripped my once gorgeous thick hair off my head along with my eyebrows and eyelashes, the phlebotomist took me back to the room preparing to draw my blood when she said, “You have a beautiful face.” I responded with a “thank you” and then taking off my pink hat said, “but I lost all my hair,” and she said, “It doesn’t matter you are beautiful.” She then excused herself and walked out the room only to return with teary eyes to tell me she had lost her mother to cancer recently. I realized in that moment she thought I had cancer but I didn’t want to make her feel bad for assuming I had it and making her cry so I was silent. Before I walked out the door she told me she needed to hug me so I let her and thanked her for her kindness, love and concern. I wished her comfort in the loss of her mother. We were two women consoling each other in an unexpected moment and place in time.

It’s been difficult looking in the mirror every day losing my hair to find love and acceptance of a ‘new’ self. I took a five month medical sabbatical away from my beloved work of promoting women entrepreneurs to rest, restore and regenerate hair and health. But waiting for hair to grow is like waiting for grass, on a short lawn without any rain, to grow but much slower. My biggest concern has been if my husband and two sons would still “see me” through my new baldness and love me the same. I also wondered if the women who have are members of my company would do the same.

I am not the first person to talk about beauty standards in America and our obsession with celebrity, models and even English duchesses. Growing up in the United States, there is an expectation for women to be smart, thin, well dressed and beautiful. My grandmothers, aunts and two mothers, wore makeup into old age, dressed well, smelled even better and looked attractive every day of their lives. I naturally followed suit especially with a 23 year career of being a speaker and promoter of women entrepreneurs and event planner/manager.

Yesterday’s hug from this empathetic woman reminded me women see each other through their hearts not their eyes and we aren’t afraid to express it. I believe it’s the reason women will change the world one day from so much bitterness, anger and unrest because we have a natural way of caring for others. I hope next time you have a chance to share a compassionate word, deed or hug from another women, you do it and shed a strong pink glow of love out into the atmosphere.