She Persisted Around The World

She Persisted Around The World

Recall back in 2017 we checked out Chelsea Clinton's first She
Persisted book which introduced readers to thirteen American women who
overcame formidable obstacles to achieve their goals? Her new
companion volume, She Persisted Around The World, takes us overseas to
learn about some pretty impressive sheroes including:
*one of my all time favorites, Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Wangari
Maathai, who was the first woman in her part of Africa to get a PhD
and become a college professor and started the Green Belt Movement
which has planted over fifty million trees;
*Mary Verghese, who, following a car accident that left her in a
wheelchair, shifted her focus to rehabilitation and founded India's
first rehabilitation center;
*trauma counselor Laymah Gbowee who, after living through one civil
war in Liberia, organized thousands of women to help end another;
and *ten other formidable females.
Persistence, however, is not possessed solely by such big
achievers. It can be one of the most important factors in success on
any scale. My best little cat in the world, Joey, was not supposed to
be thriving or even surviving at going on 16, having been born
medically frail. His vets say his extremely strong will to live has a
lot to do with this. In fact it was surely a factor in the decision
to do a no guarantees 4 1/2 surgery when he was almost 12.
Although persistance does not negate the need to do something
about the cruel injustices of our society, it can play a huge role in
every facet of life. What's great about it is that, although some
people manifest it more from the start, it can be acquired. The two
books can help start conversations we need to be holding with our
children, our peers, and ourselves.
*What obstacles did the women in the books face? How did they
overcome them? What resources, material and human, helped them?
*When we face obstacles what is the nature of the stumbling blocks?
What resources, material and human, do we have at our command? What
obstacles have we faced in the past? How can these experiences help?
On a personal note, I am perseverance personified. I am reaping the
rewards of not giving up. I took time out to raise my kids. I wasn't
going to stay home when they were grown and flown. That's so 1950s.
Well when I started job hunting the huge gap in my employment history
was keeping me from decent jobs. People thought I should take what I
could get--fast food or big box retail--and not try for the
impossible. Just about all my life I've been an advocate for other
people. I decided to fight as hard for myself as I did for others. I
continued to volunteer and network. When I heard about the higher
education masters program it was as if the heavens had opened to show
a chorus of angels singing. I worked hard to get in the program and
find a job to pay tuition, fees, and textbooks. The first semester
challenged me to gain the computer skills I was deficient in. But
this semester I've improved enough to be having an easier time. I am
living my dream because I did not give up.
Is there something you really want to do? If so, what's standing in
your way? How can you surmount the obstacles?
jules hathaway



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