Sources of Power
For most of my youth, and up until a couple years ago, I spent a lot of time trying to prove to myself and to everyone else that I could "hang" with the guys -- that I could be as smart, as determined, as logical, as emotionally strong, and as independent as any guy out there. I hated the sorority girl image, and by proxy sorority girls, because to me, they epitomized everything weak about women. I hated the drama, the pettiness, and the two-faced-ness that seemed to occur when girls got together en masse. As such, I preferred the company of men, surrounding myself with male friends, and up until this year, living with male roommates.
My female mentors and other women whom I looked up to, always stressed the importance of having close female friends. I never understood this advice, and mostly dismissed it, but I am coming around. I'm not saying that there aren't women who are drama-prone, or who aren't very petty and will stab you in the back without a second thought, no, I think there are a lot of women out there who give the rest of us a bad name. But, what I have realized is that, when you find the kind of female friends who are caring, and loyal, and who understand you, you've found friends for life -- friends, who will be there for you through good times and bad times, through sickness and in health, and between whom no man can come.
In the past twenty something years, I have sufficiently proven to myself that I can be whoever I want to be, so long as I set my mind to it. I'm not going to limit my imagination with the limitations of men or women. In the next chapter of my life, I'm going to let the strength and experiences of my female friends serve as my compass. We are a group of tight-knit women, who previously did not like women. We are a wealth of neuroses, insecurities, and vulnerabilities, but because of these things, we are a powerhouse of strength, wisdom, and insight. We are drama-averse, and are the glue that holds our network of friendships together. And we're crazy about each other. So there. You guys rock my world.