“Women are often caught between conforming to existing standards or role definitions and exploring the promise of new alternatives.” - Stanlee Phelps and Nancy Austin
As women, we are very familiar with the badge of honor that is worn in knowing that we hold a level of great strength that allows us to not only do it all, but to do it well, while running in blazing red high heels. It is normal for most of us to gracefully rise and shine at times that are considered by most as cruel and unusual punishment, but we do it every day without pause because duty always calls. In fact, you are more likely to
find us standing tall with the grace and poise of pride draped across our chests because “we’ve got this.”
Our daily schedules are sure to make Clark Kent proud, since by day we are gracefully running the world at our jobs and/or businesses and by night, we dash into superman’s booth and transform into loving wives, caring mothers, devoted caregivers for elderly parents and household managers. And this whirlwind of responsibility does not stop until it is time to fling our tattered and torn bodies into a res
torative slumber, so that we can be ready to do it all over again the next day.
For those who did not get the memo, taking time to care for our magical minds and beautiful bodies is an absolute necessity for our mental and physical well-being. We have to first understand that no matter how strong we were built we were not made to run continuously without a tune-up. Then, we must stand up to ourselves and emotionally accept that it is ok to be selfish from time to time. We deserve to be pampered, loved and appreciated.
As a supportive community of women entrepreneurs, WENU members have committed to embarking on a self-care journey together. We realized that we are more effective when our emotional and physical tanks were refueled. We created a 14-day adventure filled with praying, enjoying simple pleasures, trying new things, loving our bodies and just being good to ourselves.
These days of self-care have been like a
yummy love affair with ourselves. In fact, we encourage every woman that’s hiding her superwoman cape in the closet to grant herself permission to leave it there for a little while and bask in the bliss of breathing in fresh air while taking a walk, listening to a favorite song while dancing like no one is watching or snuggling under a cozy blanket while enjoying a well-deserved nap. This is what we call self-care, one of the greatest gifts that we can give to ourselves.
Nikeea Bullock & Kathy Richardson
- February 2022
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