Getting ready to get her hair done by one of the best hairdressers in town , she sunk into that chair as her body exuded a message of being torn up inside and defeated by life . She started to reflect on her entire life and the woman she had become and her face painted a picture of being disappointed and beat down . Another woman walked through the door and as she made her way to one of those chairs , Lisa couldn ' t help but notice the charisma she had and how she walked that floor with such grace and confidence .
She had a certain presence to her , one would think she held a position in the parliament . Lisa wondered why it hurt so much to be who she was and if ever there was a chance to be somebody else . Truth is , she had read every book in the store on how to be a better woman but none of them seemed to apply in her seemingly miserable life . She envied every other woman ' s life except her own . What she didn ' t realize was that she was no different from all the other women in that room .
These women came from different walks of life and though it appeared they had it easier than she did , the truth of the matter is , they also took part of the cup of the struggle . The struggle to earn recognition , appreciation , and respect . The struggle to be called by their names and not just a ' Mrs ' title . As they started to get comfortable with each other , these women began to share their stories and unfold the challenges they ' ve had to go through in order to be where they were . How comparison had stolen so much from her life . Indeed the thief of all happiness . All these women were studded with insecurities concerning everything about themselves . If it wasn ' t this , it was that .
They all wished to be somebody else though they encouraged and appeased each other ' s pride and ego , but how can you accept a shirt when offered by a naked person . Self love is , and always has been an ingredient to contentment . How did all those great women do it . They never waited to be empowered , they brought about empowerment on their own . Rosa Parks , Maya Angelou , Judy Garland , Rosalind Russell .
These were women to be reckoned with . The challenge faced with women today is the dire need for acceptance from other women . They break each other instead of empowering each other , they compete with each other instead of assisting each other . The very salon that ' s supposed to make them feel loved and appreciated , has become a gossip club in which they turn and talk about the other woman as soon as she leaves .
How then do they expect to receive respect from outside when they can ' t render it within . After all , a woman is the full circle . Within her is the power to create , nurture and transform . Growing up , Lisa had struggled with self acceptance in so many spheres of life . Not only did she have to work to earn recognition in the corporate world , she felt as though she was recognized more at work than in her own family . Her sphere of influence had it that women were meant to submit and not speak out unless they were spoken to .
Primitive minded most of them were , medieval even . Putting a girl child through school was absurd , tetiary education was unheard of so she had to be grateful that she even knew how to read and write , after all she even managed to get through secondary school . In her mind all these other women didn ' t know the meaning of the word struggle because as it was , she had to work to earn a living and pay for her university tuition .
The entire time she sat there quietly as they narrated their own " sad stories " of how their husbands wouldn ' t give them money for their own " needs " as though marriage was a profession . Marriage was the last thing on her mind . She wanted to be known for what she had accomplished and not for what her future husband had .