From the President
Dear Members, Colleagues, and Friends,
Happy Holidays! We’ve done it. We’ve made it to the end of
the year. A time filled with cheesy movies and family time. As we should be
rewarded for our efforts to make it to December, our theme for this month is “Rest
and Reflection.”
I have a confession to make – I am not good at resting. As I
like to tell my friends, “I have no chill.” And there are many women I know just
like me. Constantly going, doing, working. A perennial desire to be productive.
If I had an Apple Watch, I would probably be horrified to learn how restless my
sleep often is and how many steps I take in a day. This tendency is only
worsened by the fact that our profession by and large rewards constant work. But
friends, sometimes you cannot do it all. And that’s okay. In fact, this
newsletter is being sent a bit later than I would have liked because #life. And
when I mentioned that to one of my board members, she thanked me for being a
real person because sometimes it cannot all get done. I think this is the first
time anyone has ever thanked me for being honest about what I perceive as a shortcoming,
and it made me think. Perhaps we should all be a bit more “real” about this
struggle, no? We all have goals, but remember WE set them, WE set the deadlines
and WE have the power to adjust as necessary!
So, I would like to gently encourage you to take this
holiday season as a time to focus on rest and relaxation. You can also include
reflection if you feel so inclined.
Here are this month’s book recommendations:
- How We Heal
by Alexandra Elle (This is the book for all of you who are ready to deep dive
into serious contemplative reflection.)
- Station
Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (This book is for those of you seeking out
a more “fun read.” Fair warning - it’s a little dystopian, but I enjoyed it.)
- Cloud
Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr (Definite fun read. Engrossing and thoroughly
enjoyable!)
Sherry Fox
MRWBA President