I began reading through my old journals looking for references to psychic moments and experiences I’ve had over the years, researching for my next manuscript. I found wonderful memories of times spent with the best of women friends. I found what I was looking for and so much more.
I grew up in what was an all boy neighborhood until I was about 9 years old. I had two brothers, our dog and cat were both males. I married while still a teenager, had four sons, a male dog and a husband who was a mason contractor. This means that I was surrounded by men showing up to go to work or showing up on Fridays for their pay envelope which I had prepared because I set up appointments for estimates and did all the paperwork it takes to run a business.
When the marriage fell apart after 15 years, I worked in fields dominated by men, i.e. wholesale liquor sales rep, bartender, real estate sales followed by real estate appraiser and then a new, used and rare bookseller. All men dominated fields at the time. In the early years I was usually working two jobs sometimes three to keep the bills paid and the kids fed. Who had time for women friendships? Not me.
But time passes and when all those struggle years passed too, I went off into a different direction. I fulfilled my desire to be a writer not realizing that I was always a writer who just had not written anything. It was a woman, InSuk who must have seen that in me and pushed me in the right direction. I will always remember her even though I have not seen her in many years.
So my wonderful women friends first came to me first through my bookshop then through my pen. Well, I also write on my computer. But came they did. Thanks to my years attending the annual conference of the International Women Writers’ Guild I now have women friends from various parts of our country and a few from Europe, the Caribbean and Africa. Who knows? Next I may make friends with women from Asia, Australia and South America. The world is open to me.
