From Dr. Jane's Notebook

Why Celebrate Women's History?

March has been declared Women's History month. For some, this may raise a few eyebrows as they frown with stereotyped images of the women's movement. For others, this month may have very personal meaning as they struggle to define the meaning, their goals and destinations in life.

Much has happened to change the lives of women over the past three decades. Regardless of one's political views, the truth remains that every woman and girl is faced with the challenge of defining her approach to life. In the effort to stand on the shoulders of our mothers, much can be learned from the histories of women who have found their niche and accomplished their goals. Here are a few more thoughts on the subject.

We learn from our role models. More than once while growing up, I was faced with the task of writing an essay on "the person who I admire the most". Each of these essays helped me to think about the behaviors and qualities that I wanted to develop for myself. Deciding "how and what" we want to be is an important life task. As such it is helpful to do a little research!
We look for inspiration. In their 1983 book, called Women Who Changed Things, Linda Peavy and Ursula Smith wrote "History offers many examples of cause-driven women who centered their lives in their work. But women daring to combine career, marriage and motherhood have primarily been a phenomenon of this century". Today's women face a complex juggling act in their effort to "do it all". Much can be learned from the trials and tribulations of others through mentoring, apprenticing and simply observing these successful women.
Changes are not just for the young. In her most recent book, Flying Solo (1994), local co-author and therapist, Dr. Susan Stewart, describes women who she interviewed in midlife. "...for them, midlife has been a time of renewal... For them, it is an era dominated by the delicious task of figuring out what they have always wanted and going after it with a vigor and a certainty of purpose they did not have when they were younger".
Self-Esteem is a continuous quest. The best medicine I have found for bolstering self-esteem... is learning new things. Each morning presents a new challenge to explore and discover new ideas. Life is a continuous process of enrichment. As we stretch beyond yesterday's capacities, we experience the exhilaration of new growth. It takes energy to set new challenges for ourselves, but through some mysterious feedback loop, the energy comes back to us and makes us stronger.
Age is a state of mind. It is possible to grown old while we are still young, or stay young even as our bodies age. One quality I admire in a wonderful friend of mine who is an octogenarian, is whenever I hear her say... " I was just born 50 years too early". As I watch her fight against time to do everything she wants to do in her life, I am inspired.

Participate in local events. Remember who we are.

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Last Updated October 25, 1998 by Gary M. Grandon, Ph.D.