Courageous Times

Judy Pearson

... times many. All over the world a movement is occurring. Women are done being abused, silenced and killed.

Quoting this article in The Guardian: "What's fascinating about these new feminist movements is their independence. They're developing organically, outside the well-worn circuit of NGOs, government lobbying and quiet petition-signing that has been the proper format for feminist activism for more than two decades."

These women have more courage than most of us will ever get the opportunity to summons. And I think their actions are motivated by what they see us - the women of the free world - doing.

It is our duty be good role models. We must never be afraid to stand up for what's right even if it's difficult or unpopular.

These women have the Courage of 1.

Know someone else who has it?

Tell me about it!

Greetings!

I'm breaking with tradition. Even though I could wish you Happy Valentine's Day or Happy President's Day or Happy American Heart Month, I won't. Instead I'll wish you Happy Line in the Sand. Clearly, an explanation is in order.

These six women you see jumping with me here just put the finishing touches on the National Women Survivors Convention last week in Nashville, TN. Obviously, cancer survivorship is something very much a part of my life and it's very different from what I might have imagined. Being a part of this organization on the ground floor is exciting. But it was the words of one of my sister board members that inspired my thoughts.

She said surviving cancer was "like an indelible marker drew a line on my life - BEFORE and AFTER."

How ironic that even before she said this, my visual has been a line in the sand: the Judy before cancer and the Judy who has evolved since.

Don't get me wrong. I like both versions of me. Self-loathing is not a prerequisite for this concept. Neither am I so much of a Pollyanna to think drawing the line (i.e. starting over) is a piece of cake.

It's not - it's downright scary. It takes courage to tell yourself that you are going to change and then do it. It takes courage to tell those around you that you are different from how you were just a day or a week ago. It takes huge courage to try new things, even if it's just a different color of nail polish or a different route to work. But exploring the new you can be so much fun!

I never had short hair before my chemo gift of baldness. Now I do and I love it. I never thought about my own mortality. Now I do and I appreciate so many more things. I was always gutsy, but now I'm fearless. I want to see, hear, smell and experience everything. My line in the sand has given me new motivation to cram as much in as I can every day.

Such gusto is my thing. It doesn't have to be yours. Even small changes in our lives can have value. And the best part is, you don't have to be diagnosed with a disease to draw your line in the sand. You can do it today. Or tomorrow. Or any time you're ready to embrace the age old quote, "Today is the first day of the rest of my life."

Bonus gift: if you draw your line, and things don't go as you expected, draw another line!

So Happy Line in the Sand - today and any other day you choose.

Be courageous!

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