Today’s Life Lesson: Women Fight For Other Women

Thursday Thoughts, Inspiration and Wisdom for Women

Once you begin writing, it is hard to stop. Topics, emotions and someone’s story can move people to write. I’m one of them and today is one of those days.

Most times when something serious happens to someone, they keep it to themselves trying to process it, deal with the emotions, live through the experience and eventually talk to someone about it. It could be a health diagnosis, an ending of a marriage, being fired or a sexual harassment incident. After someone has accepted what happened they are ready to share the situation with others. Somewhere in the story line of their pain they go from being the main character experiencing it to the storyteller – but only when they are ready. Some people are never ready.

I have witnessed this in multiple divorces in my family when we didn’t know there was trouble brewing. It happens when close friends don’t want to divulge a potential life threatening disease. It can be when your father calls you one day telling you he was fired and doesn’t have enough money to pay for groceries. It can also be like the story unraveling in Washington, DC today on a sexual assault case that happened in 1982. The point everyone needs to remember is the person facing the issue needs to be ready to share the story with others. It must be on their timeline. They are the ones that face the questions, scrutiny and trauma every time they reiterate what happened or is happening.

I stated in the past month, I had a sexual assault issue when I was young and a sexual harassment issue when I was in my early 20’s. I didn’t share these stories until last year when women from around the country were calling me to ride my two Women TIES buses to the Women’s March in Washington DC. Once I heard other women telling me their story, I disclosed mine. I remember being nervous sharing it in writing on my blog wondering what people would think. I assume the majority of people judging Christine Blasey Ford today in a negative light have never had to worry about sexual assault or sexual harassment in their life. I know they would not want to walk in our shoes – so stop judging.

I actually took strength from Blasey Ford today and decided to commend a trial drug for my alopecia that might be really hard on my health so I can help find a solution to help other women in the future facing the same disease. I have fought for women in business for two decades. I have fought for women’s rights the past two years. I will fight for women with alopecia as I go forward until the day a cure is found.

Sometimes women are fighters for other women. I commend the ones who are. I am one of them because I have five nieces and five younger sisters I never want them to face what I have – pure and simple. So I stand next to Christine Blasey Ford and any other survivor today and forever.