Helen Fisher, Anthropologist and author of The First Sex: The Natural Talents of Women and How They are Changing the World, wrote: "Women are, on average, more interested in cooperation, harmony and connections---a network of support. Women cast themselves in a web of friendships; they make contacts...and form cliques. Then they work to keep these ties intact."
We find the JOY of TOGETHERNESS easily, value it and can make it a productive experience too! A dear friend of mine told me a story some years ago that perfectly illustrates these qualities. She had read about how a group of women in Africa worked together. Each day they would meet near the river to make baskets. Each morning they would start with talking, sharing --- maybe even singing. Sometimes this wonderful joy of their togetherness would last a good part of the day; sometimes it would be shorter. Eventually, after this very special sharing, whether it was long or short, they would all go to work and produce all the baskets they needed to make. Productivity was always just right ---- and sometimes quite remarkable with more getting done in less time!
We've often used this story as a metaphor to guide our own meetings. We spend whatever time we need catching up, sharing stories, supporting each other with ideas and perspectives ----- then we go to work to make the baskets we need to make. It works every time!
I still remember receiving a message from my friend, BETH, who lives in Puerto Rico. She wrote that she was off to a "crafting day." I asked her what this meant. She wrote back with still another version of JOY OF TOGETHERNESS. Reading it made me feel good...
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"The CRAFTING DAY is simply this --- a small group of us get together every Wednesday. We rotate meeting at each other's houses, after we drop of the children off at school. We stay until we have to pick them up. We bring our own lunch and drink, so the hostess only has to provide the house. We bring whatever we want to work on. I'm in the process of organizing pictures - photos from as far back as 1995. Next, I'll label them and put them into photo albums. Maybe one of these days I'll get into scrapbooking, but not yet."
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Wouldn't it be great if we all had the chance to support each other in similar ways regularly??? How different the world would be.
What wonderful things do you do with your women friends to support one another?
Debbe
Debbe Kennedy
Founder, Global Dialogue Center
Home of Women in the LEAD
We invite you to visit Women in the LEAD ... it is a unique resource center for women around the world that is there to support YOU!
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