The Staying Power of Sisterhood

As a very amateur photographer, I sometimes wonder what draws me to the amazing young women participating in high school sports.

I am really starting to get it now.

1. I have 6 sisters so I'm keenly aware of the power of supportive sisterhood.
2. My high school was too small to offer all of the girls' sports opportunities.
3. I'm a boy mom and there was never an opportunity/option to raise a girl in this atmosphere.
4. As I age, I realize that once we "outgrow" the instinctively "catty years," many of us sisters end up supporting each other.

Why does this matter today? Well, first, I took the picture at a softball game tonight that was not going our way and I love how our catcher went out to calm down our pitcher and assure her she has this and she's doing great.

And .... This was following a crap day at work and (sorry Mom in heaven) a recent shit-show of several weeks at work.

The negative things I have discovered (and bear with this 50+ lady) is that after surviving the first decade of my career as a newspaper reporter and talked down to by city and county officials as "sweetheart" as if "bless you for trying." Then into the bigger publishing world where a female publisher had to act extra tough and aggressive to match her male counterparts – and us worker bees suffering as a result. And now (as a female obviously and at that special age) feeling undervalued and fighting for what I desire and, more importantly deserve, it's been a ... crap spring.

While hubby and I should be looking forward to retirement on the horizon... his way closer than mine... I am in a negative mindset. So negative with recent things at work. (Though I still absolutely love the company and its benefits.)

But the positive, as always since forever, is that there is this random network of sisters at work who get it and are willing to give me a hug and try to convince me to not feel "undervalued," but recognize how valued I am!

I'm sharing because I want high school girls to latch onto this. Don't be a "Mean Girl." Extend the support to your "sisters" (on a sports team or wherever) and they'll extend it back.

College girls, same thing but also stand firm that you've learned things and deserve a job.

Early career girls... prove your worth through your work quality first before getting cocky. 

And the rest of us... if you are a great sister (aka supporter), I think you'll find women who return the favor.

Not to say men can't do this ... because a male co-worker took me lunch today to talk me off the ledge... but just lean into the opportunity to support (and hopefully enjoy) the potential staying power of sisterhood.

End note: I'll be OK. I just have things to think about. And I did get a few of the best hugs this week!

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!!

CSI A.I.

All this artificial intelligence talk shouldn't be ignored. I mean, "they" (the A.I. folks) know things. Look at this "automated" response on my name test today. This is so 100% accurate for unfiltered Robyn!

But it is a bit unnerving sometimes, isn't it?

Whether it's autocorrect in your Word document or in your texting app, "they" know things. Like when I tried texting hubby the name of a town starting with an S and "it" automatically thought I was typing "sensual." H-m-m. One, where did that come from? And two, keep my secrets, smartphone!

But a side note, this A.I. business is a threat to my career. For real. Who needs reporters and writers of any kind when you can just plug in a few key words to your A.I. app and you're in business? Kinda crazy.

By the time I retire (not soon enough) I will have survived the daily desire for paper newspapers and magazines (hello, online publishing) and the need for human writers. Pretty unnerving.

But obviously, as a woman who won't be remembered for keeping her mouth shut, I'll keep you posted.

Stay safe out there – and keep command of your own voice. In any form!

Pearls of Wisdom

It doesn't matter what political party you align yourself with, you can't help but like Barbara Bush. With her typical attire of pearls and classic blue or red dresses, the former first lady – who died yesterday – just looked like everyone's grandma. And she had the wit and wisdom to match.

At least when I saw her some 13 or 14 years ago.

I was an editor on some arts and crafts magazines at the time, attending a big trade show and conference in Dallas. She was our keynote speaker. Typically, our magazine staff could meet the keynote but even 10 years out of office, there was too much Secret Service red tape. So we couldn't shake her hand, but could sit up close and hear her speech.

Why would she speak at an arts and crafts industry event? For much the same reason Henry Winkler (who I did meet) did a year later: dyslexia.

Ms. Bush took an interest in literacy issues after her son Neil was diagnosed with dyslexia and began working with several different literacy organizations. Eventually, she helped develop the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.

She and Winkler both spoke about about the benefits of hands-on learning. Even learning a craft that is not related to reading can boost a child's confidence. They'll discover they aren't stupid, they just learn differently.

And, she spoke because she was a crafter, too, preferring needlepoint.

She took up needlepoint when her husband entered politics. She attended all of his speeches and said she used needlepoint to counter the boredom of hearing the same speech over and over. Her most famous project was a 10-foot by 14-foot needlepoint rug that took eight years to finish.

The gist of her speech (which of course I wrote about for the magazine) was seven elements to a quality life:

1. "We're never too old to learn. Learning is a life-long journey."

2. "Most of us go to our grave with our music still inside us. Don't let that happen to you."

3. "Never ask anyone 70 or older how they feel."

4. "We must remember what's truly important: faith, family, and friends – and tolerance. Learn to enjoy the differences in people."

5. "Don't forget to spend quality time with your children and grandchildren. They are our most important job."

6. "Quality time should include reading to your kids."

7. "Never in our history has it been more important to be a good neighbor. Community involvement is critical. All of us need to find a way to make a difference."

She was interesting and very entertaining to listen to. Great stories about the famous Bush family plus funny and insightful one-liners. She could have been one of the Golden Girls! I feel privileged I had the opportunity to almost meet her.

She was a class act, in my opinion. Just sort of forgot about seeing her in person until now, when she's gone.

I guess that kiss from The Fonz – the following year – can do that to a girl.

Rest in peace, madam.