Alice’s Book Club – WINTER session of 2021

On the last day of winter (Friday – March 19, 2021) I had the chance to organize my seasonal book club session, featuring courage - an inspiring virtue.

Currently, the ongoing pandemic is still affecting the entire world and since the related restrictions are continuing strong, again I chose to collaborate and communicate with my friends using the available technology.  

This time our group was made only of women, fact which allowed us to approach the chosen topic a bit differently, while somehow reaching deeper levels of communication and understanding. Due to confidentiality matters, I will not share in this briefing the very personal perspectives discussed, but I will be glad to highlight few additional concepts of general interest (relating to courage), worth pondering upon:

- Courage is the most important of all virtues, because without courage you can’t practice any others
- It is important to face your life with courage, dignity, integrity and don't be afraid of people's criticism
- Many people agree that it takes true courage to become who you really are because it means turning into a person you know deep in your heart that you should or could be
- Change requires bravery and willpower, but it also implies getting rid of beliefs that you might have embraced and implemented (knowingly or unknowingly) from people around you over years (things such as: you can't do this job, you are not strong enough or smart enough, your competitors are much better than you, you don't have sufficient experience, you are either too old or too young, you are not prepared for it, try another time - maybe later or never, etc.)
- It helps a lot to have the courage to face your fears (mostly when you are alone)
- It is wise to develop your courage by taking calculated risks
- Courage leads you to those defining moments that in fact are the life-changing decisions you made along the way
- Maintain the courage to be a person of inner strength, as this would help turning the right thinking into the right action/s.
Wrapping up the sharing, we all agreed that in life it takes courage to become who you are meant to be.

Also, in order to bring even more content to this subject, in comments sections I’m sharing a short story which features “the courage to be yourself”, trusting that by doing so it might add more meaning. Additionally, for your convenience and enjoyment, here is a briefing I wrote some time ago on this very subject, called: "COURAGE - an inspiring virtue"....peaceful reading!

As usual, our group talks were open, authentic, pleasant and to the point, making the time fly much faster! When we reached the end of our gathering, we realized that we still have left a lot of points to touch on, but (to our satisfaction) knowing that there will be a next time, we adjourned for the evening.

Concluding, I would like to extend over my renewed appreciation to each guest of the evening, and state once again, loud and clear, that it brings so much joy to my heart to see my friends putting a bit of extra time aside for heart related projects. Yes, we all are busy (myself not being an exception) with secular jobs providing for our daily needs, we all work, shop, cook, or have all sorts of medical appointments, have family responsibilities or just simply take time to relax (watching movies, taking walks, do sports, etc., etc. ,etc.), but my hut up for all those who still find the necessary strength and positivity to stretch just a bit more (for an extra hour or so) to look after heart and soul related matters…awesome attitude, which I find truly beautiful and inspiring.
Until next time, dear ones, please stay safe and healthy!
Warm regards,
Alice

“Courage isn’t having the strength to go on; it is going when you don’t have any strength left.” (Napoleon Bonaparte)

COURAGE: an inspiring virtue

Generally speaking, courage is not about being fearless, but rather about triumphing despite being afraid. For instance, one of the most common displays of courage is when someone chooses to act despite the fact that s/he feels a particular fear regarding the task that’s awaiting in front of her/him.

In life, showing courage doesn’t always have to be revealed through extreme situations…from time to time, it’s revealed even in some mundane choices people have to make….as simple as that. Courage does not always roar; sometimes it is that quiet voice you hear (at the end of a long day) whispering to your heart and mind: “Try again tomorrow.” Many times it has been noticed that in order to reach the next peak or the next destination point of the route, you need to double your courage with the willingness to put in a bit more effort – yes, that little effort combined with a little courage could get you out of the crowds and let you join the handful of people the world calls lucky.
In closing of my brief remarks here, below I’m sharing 2 short stories featuring courage, hoping that this light reading would expand perspectives. Enjoy!

Short story: The tale of a butterfly

A little boy was playing outdoors and found a fascinating caterpillar. He carefully picked it up and took it home to show his mother. He asked his mother if he could keep it, and she said he could if he would take good care of it.
The little boy got a large jar from his mother and put plants to eat, and a stick to climb on, in the jar. Every day he watched the caterpillar and brought it new plants to eat.
One day the caterpillar climbed up the stick & started acting strangely. The boy worriedly called his mother who came and understood that the caterpillar was creating a cocoon. The mother explained him how the caterpillar was going to go through a metamorphosis & become a butterfly.
The little boy was thrilled to hear about the changes his caterpillar would go through. He watched every day, waiting for the butterfly to emerge. One day it happened, a small hole appeared in the cocoon and the butterfly started to struggle to come out. 
At first the boy was excited, but soon he became concerned. The butterfly was struggling so hard to get out! It looked like it couldn't break free! It looked desperate! It looked like it was making no progress! The boy was so concerned he decided to help. He ran to get scissors, got it and and then came back. He snipped the cocoon to make the hole bigger and the butterfly quickly emerged! As the butterfly came out the boy was surprised. It had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. He continued to watch the butterfly expecting that, at any moment, the wings would dry out, enlarge and expand to support the swollen body. He knew that in time the body would shrink and the butterfly's wings would expand. But neither happened! The butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never could fly…
What the boy in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were nature's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Moral: Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If nature allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been.

It takes courage, patience and discipline to grow up and become who you are meant to be.

Short story: When the river meets the sea

“FEAR” (by Khalil Gibran) – “It is said that before entering the sea, a river trembles with fear.
The river looks back at the path that has been travelled, from the peaks of the mountains, the long winding road crossing forests and villages. And in front, is the vast ocean – so vast, that to enter there seems nothing more than to disappear forever. But there is no other way.

The river cannot go back. Nobody can go back. To go back it is impossible in existence.

The river needs to take the risk of entering the ocean - only then will fear disappear, because that's where the river will know it's not about disappearing into the ocean, but of becoming the ocean. "

“The secret to happiness is freedom, and the secret to freedom is courage.” (Thucydides)

Being WOMAN

Even if we are aware or not, women do play a significant role in everyone’s life and I believe that it is safe to state that without women we couldn’t describe a successful or an accomplished life.

Mothers, daughters, sisters, wives – despite the role they each play, I think we all could agree that on top of everything else women are highly responsible for the successful continuation of life on this planet.

As we all know, mostly from the history books, in the early days, women were typically engaged only in activities around the house (such as raising children, cooking, cleaning, taking care of the family members or other administrative tasks relating to the household), but nowadays many conditions have changed, and women are taking part in way more activities, other than family and kids since they are no longer confined within the boundaries of the four walls.

In today’s modern world, the social and economic status of women have soared to height, and due to their extremely versatile nature, women are progressing tremendously.

It is really pleasing to see that their empowerment opened more doors for them to thrive and shine.

Women are capable, hardworking and because of that they are engaging in different work fields in order to further explore their inner talents, while becoming more independent and able earn for themselves; they are the backbone of any progressing society, and are equally important as men are. 

On the other hand, respect for women is one of the greatest gifts a father cold show a son, because (after all) a woman brought each of you into this world! 

Once upon a time, Mahatma Gandhi said:
“A woman is the companion of a man, gifted with equal mental capacity.”

May we recognize and appreciate the existence of the women we each have in our lives.

“The empowered woman is powerful beyond measure and beautiful beyond description.”

Socializing: 2021 – INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’s Day

On Monday (March 8’21) we had our annual reunion celebrating International Women’s Day! Unlike the years before (when we had the chance to meet in person, enjoying as a group a cheerful ambiance, in a public space), this time we gathered ‘on line’ due to the prolonged austerity measures of the times we are living.
Needless to say that it was nourishing at least to see each other and reconnect on a subject we all hold in high regard.
This time, we opened the evening with a toast (as each invited guest, from the comfort of their own living room, was accompanied by a glass of good wine), honoring all the amazing women we each have in our life - to the women who are wise, kind, positive, compassionate, smart, diligent, resourceful, beautiful & unique!

Once more, I’m wishing all women out there the strength to continue to inspire, the strength to continue to smile, and the strength to continue to love!

Even though it was not a literary evening, but rather a social gathering, a number of significant writings featuring women have been referred to and to further uplift the understanding of womanhood, here I will enumerate a few:

Poems: “Balada doamnelor de alta data” (by Francois Villon) | "De-or trece anii" (by Mihai Eminescu)
Books: “Don Quixote de la Mancha” (by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra)
“Trecute vieti de doamne si domnite” (by Constantin Gane) | “Adela” (by Garabet Ibraileanu) | “Enigma Otiliei” (by George Calinescu) 
“Ultima noapte de dragoste, intaia noapte de razboi” (by Camil Petrescu) | “Patul lui Procust” (by Camil Petrescu)  

Also, a number of famous Romanian women have been mentioned, and here I am glad to share those names with you:
Smaranda Gheorghiu (poet & novelist), Sofia Ionescu (first female neurosurgeon in the world), Lucia Sturdza-Bulandra (a very well regarded actress of her time), Sarmisa Bilcescu (was a Romanian lawyer, the first European woman ever to obtain a license and a PhD in Law from the University of Paris), Ana Aslan (biologist & physician, founder of the first institute of Geriatric), Elena Caragiu (actress & writer, wife of the well-known actor, Toma Caragiu), Smaranda Braescu (Romanian parachuting and aviation pioneer, former multiple world record holder), Ecaterina Teodoroiu (WWI heroine of Romania), Maria Rosetti (a well-known Romanian political activist, journalist, essayist, philanthropist and socialite).

International acknowledgements featuring special women around the world (in different fields of expertise):
Appropriate for the occasion, here are few more highlights (slideshows): “Women who changed the world”, “500 Years of Female Portraits in Western Art”, 
“The most inspiring women in the world”, “The Atlas of Beauty”, “2021-Women personalities in the world“.

ARTICLES: "70 Famous women who changed the world" (listed in chronological order), "Meet 10 women in science who changed the world"

In addition, several original poems were recited, more thoughts were voiced and personal perspectives were shared, in a smooth ambiance of mutual appreciation.
We wrapped up the evening on a positive note, trusting that the coming spring will bring us renewed joy. Until next time, my warmest regards to each of you!
Alice

● Previous events I organized on the same theme: INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’s Day – 2020, 2019 

● Some of my additional greetings referring to the same matter:
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’s Day – 2021, 2020, 2019

March 8, 2021: Happy INTERNATIONAL WOMEN's Day!

Each year, on March 8, the entire world is celebrating women and the variety of roles they play in our society, from their birth till the end of life. Generally speaking, from giving birth to a baby, or from keeping the home safe and clean to portraying excellent outcomes in any workplace, a woman’s contribution is remarkable, and today is a great occasion to celebrate all these accomplishments.

“You educate a man, you educate a man. You educate a woman, you educate a generation.”

Ladies, I wish you each enjoy this beautiful day and please stay safe and healthy!

● My previous greetings on the same theme: INTERNATIONAL WOMEN's Day – 2020, 2019