stone skipping (part 9)

For most of them, two decades separate us...a whole generation. The last time I have been a part of an entire group of strangers going through a large chunk of time together was my starting class at work, all doe-eyed and fresh out of college. At the time, we may have had different backgrounds but we were not so diverse on our outlook.

While many are still in their 20's, each woman has had such a colorful journey up to #changetheratio, representing transgender, fashion/retail, manufacturing, lawyer, data visualization, Olympic trainee, teacher, etc. Every woman has an amazing story of their journey that either got them to be a student or an instructor. One of the youngest cohorts is a 25 year-old who ran a Jewish foundation in the south. She has so much energy and her aura exudes such positivity.

She commented this week that she is in awe of being part of an accomplished group of women. My retort was that she needs to look in the mirror. During our weekly touchpoint at the end of the week, it turns out that a majority had had some sort of weak moment in the last two weeks feeling overwhelmed. We seemed to be our own worst critics. Yet in each of their moments of weakness, there was always a pairing partner or co-cohort that stayed late to walk the other through the concepts.

In looking around the room, hopefully they all realized that each was not alone, and we were all in it together. We are only as strong as the weakest member. As part of the #changetheratio and what is mirrored with all the sexual harassment scandals (emptying my coffers), the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

She was my second pairing partner the first week, and perhaps we hit it off because we have similar sense of humor and personality. In trying to describe me to one of her friends, she noted that I somehow have a wicked balance of "that's what she said", and her best word to describe me was "juxtaposition". 

She had mentioned this during the first week, but she emphasized it again this week, noting that if she is anything like who I am now in 20 years, she would be very alright with that. All in all, that may have been the greatest compliment I have ever received. In so many ways, ironically I have had fleeting moments in the past couple of weeks thinking I wish I was as confident and strong 20 years ago as she is today. We all have our journeys that got us together today, but sometimes, it is refreshing to see one's self through another's eyes (stone skipping (part 8)).