I have the honor of knowing a number of amazing women.
They’re not TV stars, supermodels or national celebrities, but each one has my respect and admiration for a life well lived and for being a fabulous female and an inspiring role model.
My sister J had a brain tumor 20 years ago, and, despite vision loss, truly embraces her motto “Life is Good.” She recently retired from a successful career as a city planner and continues to jog three miles a day, travel, do yoga, Zumba, hike and participate in other adventurous activities. She’s also an active volunteer in her church and community.
My mom is a sweet and feisty woman — and an exceptional role model. She taught my sister and me that we could be anything we wanted to be growing up, and we never doubted it. At age 89, she still rides a bike and exercises with a TV show every day. She walked 3.5 miles a day until just a few years ago — and she beat everyone in the family at a “quick thinking” board game last Christmas!
D has fought breast cancer twice — and won. On her 60th birthday, instead of complaining about it like a lot of other people would have, she announced she was happy to turn 60. What a great outlook!
ME raised two children through some harrowing teen-aged experiencing, acquired professional degrees and certifications too numerous to list, commuted 800 miles one way weekly for a job over a period of about a year, then drove 3+ hours a day for other assignments for a number of years after that. And she’s always upbeat and finds fun in whatever she does. She says she’s going to retire soon, but I’ll believe it when I see it!
M, who was somewhat shy in her early 30s as a young, at-home mom, made the most of her heritage as a 4th generation Charlestonian, and her love of teaching and writing. She’s published seven books so far about Charleston, S.C., from a variety of unique and interesting angles and runs a tour company that she markets in creative ways — as if she’s a born entrepreneur.
My friend C1 is my favorite local real estate mogul. On top of working 50+ hour weeks as a professional at a local hospital, she cares for her aged mother, manages her properties, maintains ties with her group of friends and recently got remarried. She’s a real sweetheart, too.
My former business partner and book co-author, C2, is an all-around amazing woman. She’s a licensed boat captain, a credentialed parenting counselor, a realtor, a writer, a superb saleswoman (she could sell you sand from the desert), a church volunteer and a bunch of other things I can’t remember — and she wouldn’t tell me anyway, because she’s very modest. She’s done SO many adventurous things including jumping from a plane on a bungee cord and windsurfing WAY out in the ocean, and she’s a mother and stepmother to eight grown children. (C’s dad is pictured below on a stand-up paddleboard; she comes from a fun-loving family.) She recently completed a real estate transaction selling an exclusive house in a local resort with an incredible marsh view to a couple planning to retire here in several years. They insisted they’d only buy the million-dollar plus property if she lived in it until they move here!
One of my newest friends, R, is one of the most gracious people I’ve ever known. She always has something good to say about everything and everyone — and she’s taught me so much and been a real inspiration in the past year!
J brings fun with her wherever she goes — and she had the courage to retire with her husband to another state and start a farm from scratch. It’s such a great place! I love to hear her farm stories and the fact she says they “farm by Google” because they’re doing everything for the first time. She can now “process” pheasants with the best of ’em!
My friend, C3, loves Aerosmith and has been in their fan club from the beginning. She’s met them at meet’n’greet events for fan club members at several concerts — and has the photos to prove it. She loves their music so much that she travels to concerts around the U.S. alone to see them! Now that is brave! Since there are a number of other people who do the same thing, she joins “the regulars” — who’ve become friends — to enjoy each concert.
My scrapbooking and work buddies, V and M, are not only kind and thoughtful (and fun to be around) but they run marathons (!) and have amazing careers as a comptroller of a large government agency and a military officer. And they make it look easy. Very impressive.
J, another friend from work, following the birth of her second child, packed her infant and toddler in a 30-ft. recreational vehicle (where she formerly lived) and single-handedly drove them from the East Coast to the West Coast during her maternity leave, stopping to visit friends and family on the way for an unforgettable trip. Is that brave or what?
Why not write a blog post about the s(heroes) in your life and link to it here or leave a comment to tell us about the phenomenal females in your life?
Let’s celebrate strong women!
A strong woman, is one who loves deeply, and loves fiercely, her tears flow just as abundantly as her laughter. A strong woman is both soft and powerful. She is both practical and Spiritual… A strong Woman in her essence is a gift to the WORLD!
–Andrew Guzaldo
Related blog posts:
- Nicest Things People Have Ever Done for Me
- Fall Fun at a Women’s Adventure Weekend in Brevard, North Carolina
- How to Host a Fun Girlfriends Wreath-Making Party
- Thank a Teacher: You’ll Never Regret It
- Brave Women Go Places Alone
- Making New Friends as an Empty Nester can be Awkward
- Funny Friends: Laughter is the Best Medicine
- Finding Female Friends Online: Don’t Laugh, it Works!
- Starting a Mothers Group Transformed My Life — met ME, C2 and M here!
- A Unique Workout: High Intensity Adult Trampoline Class — C1 was my partner in crime on this!
- Aerial Adventure Park: A Unique and Exciting Fitness Experience — C1 was with me on this adventure, too!
And then there is D. D. who is upbeat, courageous,confident, smart and always ready to laugh and have fun. She has GREAT ideas and is fearless about making her dreams a reality. From deciding to write a book to approaching the Post & Courier and convincing them to let her write a column. I just hung on to her coat-tails! She supported a man through extensive schooling and did not allow bitterness to keep her from living her dreams. She raised an amazing son, bought a great house and has encouraged and loved and touched the lives of so many. To top it off, when she gets on a roll she makes me laugh so hard that I wet my pants!
Thank you! 🙂
What a beautiful post! You do have amazing friends and family, and you are amazing, too.
I wasn’t doing this to get compliments — thanks, though. I do know some amazing people, including you.
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