Hi friends, I would like to know if you have come across a woman stronger than you - what traits in the other person made you feel that she is strong and you found it inspiring. Share your experiences. I too come across many, but recently a long lost friend connected and called me. I haven't met her in years but she had a strong positive vibe over phone. She said we have to celebrate life and not worry about things in our control. This might be a proven thing, but it made me feel good. Likewise, share your experiences.
Nice thread! Very interesting to think of all the women I know and who inspire me. One such woman is a friend from childhood I also spoke to after decades. I had heard about abusive marriages but to listen to her talk about hers was surreal. She recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of her second marriage. The courage, hope and look ahead while also remembering the past that she follows was beautiful to learn in a phone call that went on for 2 hours. I spoke this long with anyone after many years! I found it impressive how she balanced recalling the past, wanted to relate every detail, yet did not unduly wallow in self-pity. Many more such women come to mind too!
Honestly..I have learnt one thing over the years..Never put anyone on a pedestal nor put ourselves in a pedestal.Everyone is strong in their own ways. However..I have admired certain women for their resilience.One such person is a very sweet,gentle woman who is very polite but she can also be assertive and has too many issues in her life but will never take it out on another person. She has two autistic kids and one is severe spectrum.Living with her in laws in the USA and her mil is very stubborn and rude.Husband is always on a office trip and escapes his household duties to forget his personal issues also. I have met many people who use others as a garbage trash to vent out their frustrations but this woman emits such a positive vibe,helpful and has lot of hope.I really wonder how she is that awesome! That is strong! Another neighbor back in India with similar issues like the above and she is very tired with so much longing in her eyes still polite. That attitude to be kind despite their sorrows is amazing mental strength. Many like that..they give a new meaning to beauty in a woman.
Yes, there are many women who have surmounted innumerable issues in their life and come out strong and carry on with their lives. One such woman that comes to mind immediately is one of my neighbours. She must be in her 70s now. Her husband passed away some 25 years back. Her 2 sons are now grown up with their own families both settled abroad. She has been living alone in her own house in india, ever since she was widowed. The whole neighbourhood interact with her and help her out including myself for any help that she may require - as she is arthritic and goes out only when really necessary. She has only positive words to say about her family and everyone , although many keep asking her why she continues to remain alone when she could settle with her sons. She says its a win win situation for all her family, as they have a place to come to whenever they visit india, and she has her independence and social circle.
My mom! My mom is the strongest woman I have met in life. She is not so educated. Not so exposed to the worldly matters like us. But she has read and understood life to the fullest. She accepts things as they are, analyses them sharply and find solutions easily. A woman is strong in her own ways; else she can't handle her marital life away from her comfort zone. A woman's role as a mother needs extra power. Because bearing a child, and giving birth to a child itself a serious battle. As a mother, her determination to raise us well & successful was enough to call her super woman. But, if that wasn't enough, she gave me re-birth at the age of 55 when I almost died following a foolish suicide attempt back in 2011. Upon unbelievable marital issues, and bankruptcy, I lost it. Blame my postpartum depression! Mom sculpted me from the scratch. She had to spoon feed & care for my basic needs. She raised me together with my kid towards recovery. She boosted my self esteem and made me believe I have life after all that happened to me. She supported me to bounce back and excel in life. She stood by me, bearing all the pain & hate speeches to pave me a path to success. When ever I failed, and complained of the stones life threw at me, she helped me to collect them. Later, I was able to build a bridge to cross the river of problems that once drowned me. She is not just my mom, but the God mother of my children & my husband today. Because of her presence, we were able to sustain and look back. That's why we are together as one happy family despite of every damages we encountered in the past decade. If other mothers' could extend at least 10% of what my mom did to me, no girls would be sacrificing their careers, passions or even battling marital issues. All we need is a supportive shoulder to cry & lean on whenever we fall in life. No one can give you that than your own mother!
In the international arena, one finds top women leaders as examples of emerging triumphant despite numerous severe odds. Indira Gandhi of India, Kamla Harris of USA, Jacinda Ardern of Newzeland, Angela Markel of Germany, Sirimavo Bandaranaike et al ... the list goes on. Nearer home I can think of late Jaya Lalitha(j) Her actress mother fought many battles to ensure j never had feel impoverished. J fought big battles with top echelons. She was disrobed by male member and like modern Dropathi she emerged victorious and endearingly called by locals as Amma. In a political boxing arena that was hitherto belong to males she fought and stunned her arch enemies. In our community itself one can find many fellow members emerged victorious after encountering severe hardships and battles in domestic and social sphere. @nuss posts comes to mind. Managal (M) illiterate Brahmin from a rural Indian village married to a priest at age of 16. Within a week, she was widowed as her husband died of heart attack in the middle of night when he had approached her for intimate relationship. Her Tradition bound kin called barber. While her close relatives, parents and elder brother waiting for her head to be tonsured, young widow’s neighbour X helped her to escape from the barber’s knife and got her out of station and admitted her in a charity organisation for destitutes run by Periyar trust in Erode. She was taught in school to read and write and in a span of seven years; she was equipped to function as a teacher in government school teaching carnatic music. She remarried an officer. Now she is head of an orphanage, school headmistress and her kid daughter and son foreign educated both married and settled abroad. Life is like that. The neighbour X who played the role of escorting M to Erode was my late mother!
Sorry if my thread intent did'nt come across in the way I wanted to. Ofcourse we all are strong in our own ways. I wanted to hear from others about what they see as a strong point in others so that we all can at some point imbibe some or all of those qualities and become a better person.
I had just got alert Of feed back at #7 by @abc00 and hence I am here. The traits for gathering that indomitable courage to pursue indefatigably to decide what to achieve and the Gole post always determined by circumstances. They seem to acquire those resilience after being in the grip of distress situation. They achieve the power to raise like a Phoenix only after directly encountering on the face of hurdles. Indian boxer Mary Kom comes to mind. She was participating representing India in Olympic even after delivering her second baby. Her Winning traits one can find browsing Mary Kom - Wikipedia Such grit, determination, courage, mental toughness makes them to stoop to conquer. They keep away from circle that makes her wallow and rap on head the moment she tries or attempts to do .. here I have a story from nearer home in the link A Date With Shuttling Manasi Joshii
@Thyagarajan Thyagu, excuse me ... thread is "Have you met a woman stronger than you.." Please to also include in your list women you have met and found strong... Tata ...: )
I have met many such women, but the one that springs to my mind is our domestic helper during my childhood, Sivakami. She had by all accounts a difficult life marked by tragedy that was both unavoidable and brought needlessly down upon her. Married at a very young age and brought to the city from her native place she had every expectation of a better life as her husband had a steady job in a wealthy household. She had one daughter when her husband died in a tragic accident. The lady of the house where he used to work refused to employ her since she didn’t want a young, attractive woman around her household. They gave her a modest sum of money and sent her on her way. Sivakami eked out a modest living doing housework and other menial jobs. She managed to get government housing allotted and brought up her daughter single-handedly. By the time she came to work in our home she was already middle-aged and battle worn but she always had a cheerful demeanor. She was an efficient hard worker and as time went on my mother entrusted her with a lot of responsibilities. All our extended family also helped to put her daughter through school and a vocational course. The young lady was smart and got a decent job in a company. The only thing Sivakami openly regretted to my mother was the matter of her daughter’s marriage. The young lady had wanted to get married to a man of her choice but her mother pressed her into an arranged marriage because the bridegroom had a government job. Unfortunately the young man turned out to be a raging alcoholic and womanizer and the daughter returned quickly to her mother’s home with a baby boy in tow. Through all this Sivakami just kept going. We never heard her complain or demand anything extra. She took excellent care of us and would always have stories and treats ready when we came home from school. Her hard work paid off. She lived to see her grandson married and well-settled. The boy was able to achieve his dream of buying a house and car while his grandmother was there to see it. She is now no more but I often think of her when I want to complain about something trivial, about how she lived a life of dignity and purpose with very little.
