Great Women - Old Friends And New

I recently made a new friend. I feel like I'm in grade school again and all excited to find someone like me. (This is especially significant as there actually weren't many kids who looked like me in grade school.) In fact, in our first get-together via a common friend, we found out we had so much to talk about that our common friend should have just read a book while we talked feverishly for an hour. When we met again on our own, we talked for two and a half hours and I feel like we could haved talked for two more. It's been about three weeks since that last lunch and we won't see each other again until late next week. I'm greedy and impatient about wanting to see her again. What a nice feeling to be in a new friendship. It's like being in love but more an intense like.

Today I'm having lunch with a friend of the family I've known since about 1982. She knew my stepdad when mom and he were getting married all those years ago. She and her husband were friends with Jen and while they all had wildly different political interests, they remained friends. In fact she came to most of Jen's chemo appointments. That is a good friend. And when Jen died and we were planning the funeral, I suggested she be one of the readers at the funeral mass. My brother in law (who didn't get along with her well) hesitated. I said, "She was there for Jen." And he then agreed. I don't know the full details of their small town political history, I just know she's always been kind and supportive and she was there for Jen. Now she's going through a big change in her life, moved to Orange County and I am happy to have a fun lunch and be there for her.

Quite randomly, not long ago in a writer's meeting a discussion of superheroes came up -- DC vs. Marvel. Not so much "versus" as "compare and contrast." We talked about Wonder Woman and the old show and how tough it's been to make a new show in these modern times. I hadn't really thought about that show in ages and even back then as a young impressionable girl, I knew it was a bit hoky. However, seeing a strong, independant, intelligent woman who also happened to be gorgeous, kick ass every week was fantastic. The best part about Wonder Woman? She was NICE. If you were a bad guy, you were going down, but she was always fair and never mean. And when some of us started to develop BOOBS at an early age, here was another role model to look up to.

While googling to find a photo of Wonder Woman, I noticed there was artwork on Google's home page instead of the logo. Turns out today is International Women's Day (the 100th anniversary no less!) and March is Women's History month. Wow. Back in 1978 we were honored only with Women's History week, but then it got bumped up to Women's History month in 1987. Makes me feel so special and honored. Like a second class citizen. Where the hell is my golden lasso? We need some TRUTH up in here.

I'm grateful for all the amazing friends I have, new ones and old ones (or "long time" if you like), men and women. We all need support and people to lean on. I am lucky to have so many and to be the one for them to lean on when necessary.