Saturday night as I was coming home from a friend's house, I realized that one of my car's headlights was out. At least it was just a few blocks away and my daughter and I got home without incident. I emailed a friend who said it was "an easy-ish" fix and that I could do it myself. Even went so far as to send me a YouTube video that showed how to do it exactly for the make and model and year of my car. I watched the video a few times, made a mental note of the tools I'd need, and decided that I could take it on.
At lunch time today, I went into the auto parts store, told the gentleman behind the counter exactly what I needed and he got me all set up. I admitted that I had never done this before and he said, "You know, if you can read and follow directions, you can do most anything."
I cannot tell you how weirdly empowered I felt. I was now actually looking forward to giving it a go.
My co-workers, all women, had a variety of reactions to this job from, "No way" to "Not hard, but not easy, either" to "It's a cinch."
And we did it. I needed John for the strength in his hands. My 48 year-old grip isn't as strong as a 14 year-old young man. We did it together and I was so excited.
I came in the house and whipped up buttermilk biscuits, from scratch, to go with the beef stew I'd made and wasn't I feeling like a domestic goddess?
It is really rather extraordinary what we can do when we have cheerleaders, when we have people in our lives who believe in us.
It's been a year this past week that my divorce has been final and I have spent some time reflecting on the past 12 months. We really never see how far we have come or how high we have climbed until we look back. I am proud of what I have done and feel really uplifted by the amazing network of people who have helped me to get here. I know, I've done the heavy lifting, but I don't think I could have done as much without them to cheer me on, support me, and move me forward. I feel really loved and empowered.
Confidence is a powerful thing and while it must come from within, sometimes we need to be reminded that we are capable and strong. And that we can do things we've never done before if we just believe in ourselves. I wonder what project I should take on next...
