Thankful Thursdays: Amazing Women
When I say I am thankful for “amazing women” I do not mean “famous women” – although, obviously, many of them are amazing too. What I mean in this post is regular women, women we know and encounter in our everyday lives. Women like our mothers, sisters, grandmothers and daughters – our mentors, bosses and friends. I shudder to think where I would be without the benefit of all the amazing women in my life. Whether my grandmothers who taught me to read at a ridiculously young age, encouraged my curiosity, and instilled in me the value of higher education; my mother who had four children in five years (all before the age of 26!) and raised us all to turn out more than ok.; my sisters, who are amazing mothers in their own right; the many women throughout my professional life who gave me a chance to prove myself, taught me to navigate the subtleties of the workplace, and gently guided me on to the next step up the ladder. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without the help and example of each of them.
I was reminded of being thankful for amazing women yesterday when I joined about 20 of them for a challenging, but thrilling bike ride in Virginia, just east of the Blue Ridge Mountains. These amazing women are members of a women’s cycling group, Babes on Bikes. Babes on Bikes was started more than 10 years ago by a woman who found herself with fewer daytime child rearing responsibilities and a flexible work schedule. She was looking for other women in similar situations to join her on mid-day bike rides. So, like any amazing woman does, she started her own “club” – which is now hundreds strong. Babes on Bikes has spurred sub-groups in other Washington, D.C.-area suburbs (the original group is based in Arlington, VA) from Bethesda, MD to Burke, VA. This year, a novice Babes group was born with several of the more experienced women leading rides to teach others about gear shifting, safe riding in traffic and changing a flat tire.
These amazing women scope out great riding routes, prepare cue sheets, sweep the back of the pack to make sure no one gets dropped or lost, help fix dropped chains and flat tires, and provide support and socializing for women all across the region who love to ride their bikes. These women are welcoming and helpful. They are impressively active – no matter their age – some not just cycling for fun, but competing (and winning!) in Senior Olympics events, playing in organized basketball and volleyball leagues, and completing triathlons. They’ve shown me what it means to build community, grow up and grow “old” actively and gracefully, and embrace life with gusto.
Who are the amazing women in your life? Tell us about one of them.
